


Mother's Love

by thesatanistauthor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Brogane, Death, Fluff, Gay, Happy, Keith and Shiro are best friends, Keiths mother bois, Lots of Crying, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Violence, angst with happy endings, fake shiro, klance, krolia kogane, kuron shiro, lots of fights and injuries, matt/lance kinda, mother/som bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-26 14:02:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 45,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13859247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesatanistauthor/pseuds/thesatanistauthor
Summary: Keith gets reunited with his mother, who notices he really missed his team. What else is a mother to do?





	1. Krolia

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5 SO WATCH OUT

Ever since Keith had left for the Blade of Mamora, Lance had felt lonely. He no longer had anyone to tease and bicker with. He had no one to keep him company, even when he acted like he didn't want it. Shiro was too distant; trapped in his own mind. Pidge and Hunk seemed to grow closer to each other by the second. Lance could tell that something special was growing between them. Matt was a cool guy and all, but Lance felt as if he couldn't confide in him. Allura and Coran were finally able to get some rest now that Zarkon was no longer a threat. 

He often found himself sitting alone in Blue's hanger, making conversation with a robot lion. At times he felt stupid for doing such a thing, but it felt comforting that he knew Blue was listening to him. He missed being with Blue, even though riding in Red was a huge thrill. Blue just had a different aura radiating from her. He had tried before to talk with Red and things didn't go down too well. 

Now that there wasn't much to do around, the paladins often found themselves staying around each other more. They had the spare time for that now. Even though Lance tried to make himself involved, he often found himself drifting into thoughts of Keith. Was he okay? How was he being treated? Was he alive? 

"Oi, Lance. You're drifting again." Matt waved his hand in front of the paladin's face, trying to catch his attention. As Lance came back to himself, he could hear Pidge and Hunk sniggering in the back. 

"Sorry, guess I shouldn't stay up so late, hey?" Lance joked, sitting himself up a little from where he had started to slouch. Matt laughed at his remark, sitting himself down next to Lance with a sigh. 

"Is everything okay up there?" Matt poked Lance's head, causing the paladin to swat his hand away. "You seem distant."

"Yeah, as I said, I just stay up late so get tired earlier." Lance smiled towards Matt, earning a shrug from his friend. Matt knew better than that, but wasn't about to bring it up in front of everyone. 

"Hey Matt, do you think dad has made it back to Earth yet?" Pidge asked, grabbing everyone's attention. 

"Maybe. I hope so. I wonder how everyone will react when they realize he isn't dead. Or how they'll react when he tells them that none of us are dead and that we're actually fighting a massive intergalactic space war." Matt chuckled, earning a reaction from everyone. It was true, down on Earth, they were all considered dead since they had been missing for so long. It was quite the opposite, really. 

The room then fell silent, everyone going back to what they were doing. Shiro was training as usual, it's all he ever did. Lance believed it was because he felt wrong, like he wasn't truly himself and that he was trying to release some of the tension he was feeling. No one else knew how Shiro was truly feeling, as Lance was the only one he had told. 

The doors hissed open to the small hall they were in, revealing Lotor and Allura. Matt rolled his eyes, letting out yet another sigh. It was long and drawn out. It made Lance chuckle to himself. Matt had a huge crush on Allura and hated seeing her with their new friend. 

"Jealous?" Lance mumbled, turning to face Matt. Matt rested his chin in his hand, his lips pushed out in a pout as he nodded slightly. 

"I still don't trust him." Matt grumbled, watching as the two sat down next to each other, continuing to chat. 

"Neither do I, Matt. It just seems all too..."

"Perfect." Matt finished off Lance's sentence. The two shared a laugh, trying to keep themselves quiet so no one else caught on. Even so, Lotor still glanced over, scowling at them. The two couldn't hold in their laughter anymore and fell about in fits of howling laughter, before both rushed off out the room, away from everyone else.

-

Keith was still processing that he and his mother were now reunited. It felt so weird but also, strangely good? He finally felt part of a family, even if he still struggled to call Krolia his mother. They finally had some time to be together and catch up on the last 18 years. 

"So, Keith. Care to tell me about yourself a little?" Krolia sat herself down opposite her son, who still looked completely lost in his head. Keith let out a short sigh and leant back into his seat, thinking of where he was to begin. 

"Well, I don't really know where to start. I can't recall the early parts of my life too well. All I remember was being alone." Keith crossed his arms over his chest, avoiding eye contact with his mother.

"I'm sorry for that Keith. I can explain myself later as to why I had to leave so suddenly. Now, tell me about how you came to join Voltron and travel up into space." Krolia smiled softly towards her son, hoping to get something out of him. Opening up was something that Keith wasn't too fond of. 

"I live in a small shack in the middle of nowhere, really. After my friend, Shiro, went missing and the Garrison pronounced him dead, I knew that I had to get out and find him. I knew he wasn't dead," Keith glanced up at his mother, who was smiling fondly at him. "Suddenly, Shiro was there. He was back on earth, alive, but not well. The Galra had taken his arm and replaced it with a metal one, making him somewhat powerful."

"Haggar most likely did that for him." Krolia sighed, knowing what things that witch could do. Keith nodded, smiling a little as he felt more comfortable around his mother. 

"Then these three others came out of nowhere and messed up my rescue mission. We ran away after being chased and stumbled across the Blue lion. Suddenly we were fighting a massive intergalactic space war, saving all these alien races from the Galra." Keith shrugged, not really knowing how else he was to explain this all. 

"That is one hell of a story, Keith." Krolia sighed with content, watching as her son shuffled his sitting position into something more comfortable. "What about your team? You never really mention them."

"Well, they're great, really. But I'm not apart of them anymore. I miss them sometimes, a lot. I miss Pidge and her smart comments and her intelligence. I miss Hunk and how he could cheer everyone up. I miss Shiro, he was my only friend I ever made. I miss Lance. I just really miss Lance, no specific reason." Krolia raised her brow at that, seeing how Keith's tone and expression changed when he mentioned this Lance boy. 

She got up from where she was sat and moved over to sit next to Keith. The smug look on her face signaled to Keith that she was onto something. She was trying to hold back a stupid smile and was failing miserably. 

"What?" Keith asked, also now trying to hold back a smile. This felt nice, having his mother sat next to him, the two of them sharing a special bonding moment. 

"Who's this Lance you were talking about?" Krolia grinned, wanting to get all the information about this teammate of her son's. Keith groaned and hid his face in his hands, hiding the dark blush now forming on his cheeks. Krolia laughed at her son's reaction, knowing she had cracked the code. 

"How did you even guess?"

"Mother's instinct." She beamed, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. Keith looked up from hiding his face, taking in a deep breath. He knew that she was going to pester him about this if he didn't spill the beans in that very moment. 

"He's so annoying, you know? His jokes are so stupid but I can't help but laugh at them. Lance never failed to cheer me up. He never failed to comfort me in my times of need. We even shared a bonding moment, but he didn't remember it. That hurt. I never knew how to express my feelings so they just came across as anger and now, I'm pretty sure he hates me." Keith's smile dropped as he finished talking. Krolia frowned as she saw how hurt Keith was over this. Then, she had an idea.

-

Lance sat on his bed, cleaning his shoes from how scuffed they were. He hated scuffed shoes, they looked messy and horrible. A knock on his door stole his attention away from the black marks on his shoes. Lance pushed himself up from his bed with a sight groan, pushing the button next to the door to open it. As the door opened, he saw Matt standing there, a smile on his face. 

"Hey Matt, what are you doing here?" Lance asked, wondering as to why Matt was even down this way so late. Without a word, Matt pushed past Lance into his room, flopping down on the bed with a sigh. "I'm great thanks, come on in!"

"Oh shut it, Lance. Don't you want some company?" Matt chuckled, propping himself up on his elbows to look at Lance. The paladin rolled his eyes and let out a quiet snicker as he made his way back over to his bed. "Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about today." 

"Why?" Lance raised a brow as he sat back on his bed, hands rested in his lap. Matt had now sat himself up again, facing towards Lance, his legs crossed in front of him. 

"You seemed very distracted today and I didn't want to bring it up in front of anybody else. Be serious with me, are you okay?" Matt had a serious yet concerned look plastered on his face, a look in which Lance had only seen him use once. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. I', serious, I just really miss Keith being here, you know? Well, I miss the original team is what I mean. I miss having someone to insult and have small fights with. In a way, he kept me going to be a better paladin. Now the team just seems wrong. No offense to Allura or anything." Lance fiddled with the fabric of the bed sheets, avoiding looking at Matt. 

"You miss Keith, huh?" Matt mumbled, resting a hand on Lance's knee. The gesture caught Lance off-guard and caused him to snap his head up at Matt. He soon removed his hand, not realizing that Lance didn't like that. "Sorry, sorry. Won't do that again." 

"Yeah, I miss Keith. In all honesty though, I miss the nights we used to spend together. He often couldn't sleep so would come in here. I was almost like a comfort thing to him, and he could only sleep if he was with me. I miss the affection, really." Lance let out a long, deep sigh as he lay back on his bed, resting his head on his pillow. 

"You two used to sleep together?" Matt asked, watching as Lance stared up at his ceiling. 

"Hey, don't get dirty minded now. Yes, we slept in the same bed together, but we didn't sleep together. There is a difference. It wasn't like that at all." Lance didn't really want to go into detail about their nights together, but he was telling the truth. Nothing sexual ever happened between them. 

The two sat in silence for a while. Matt wondered whether Lance and Keith had actually been a thing before and nobody ever figured it out. Then again, they never ever seemed to get along with each other, so that was really out of the question. Maybe Lance just fancied Keith? Or vice versa?

-

Matt and Pidge were once again doing some tech stuff which only they could understand, something to do with changing some sort of Galra system to delay their forces. Lance was just chilling in the back with them, cracking a few jokes every now and then to break the deafening silence. 

Eventually Pidge left, as she had to go help Hunk with something. She wouldn't say what it was that Hunk needed help with but it seemed to be somewhat important. Matt stayed sat at the desk, the keys of the space laptop clicking away in the silence. Lance was still sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall as he tapped his fingers on the floor, glancing around the room. It was no secret that he was bored sat here, but all the others were super busy with super important Voltron stuff. He had nothing to do but sit there and be pretty. 

"Hey, Lance, come here for a second. I want to show you something." Matt called out, his eyes still fixed on the computer screen. Lance swiftly pushed himself up from the floor and jogged over to where Matt was sat. 

"You going to show me how to hack or some tech stuff like that?" Lance joked, leaning down to look at the screen. Matt was still typing away, his face lit up by the bright light of the screen. Lance glanced at Matt, the scar on his cheek catching Lance's attention. "How did you get that scar?"

Matt stopped typing immediately at that question. Lance suddenly felt a wave of guilt drowning him. He shouldn't have asked such a terrible question, as it probably brought back some terrible memories of his time imprisoned with the Galra. A few seconds later, Matt raised his hand to gently touch the scar. 

"Matt, I'm sorry, I just kind of-"

"No, it's okay. It's okay, Lance," Matt turned his head to look at Lance, only then realizing how close they really were. "I, um, I got it from the Galra prisons. The guards sometimes got really angry and would lash out for no reason. I guess one day, I just got in the way. It's no big deal." 

"I'm so sorry, Matt. I'm sorry that I brought it up." Lance mumbled, the two still very close together. Neither of them had moved and yet, neither knew why they didn't move. 

Matt still had his hand placed on his cheek, covering up his scar. Lance reached up and softly moved his hand away to reveal the scar again. They both shared a fond smile, a slight blush dusting Matt's cheeks. 

"You don't need to hide your scar Matt, it's what makes you so unique. Please don't ever-"

Matt cut off Lance mid-sentence by suddenly kissing him, catching the paladin off guard. It was a sweet, gentle kiss that they shared, even if only for a second. Lance didn't even get to process what just happened until the kiss had ended. The two both cleared their throats as they separated, wondering what had just happened and why it had just happened. 

"Lance, I'm sorry for that. I don't know what got into me." Matt mumbled, his hands rested in his lap as he hung his head. 

"It's fine, don't worry. I got to go, I'll see you later." With that, Lance was swift to rush out of the room. 

-

"Where are we going?" Keith asked, his brows knitted together as he followed Krolia to one of the Galra fighter ships. They weren't going out to fight, so why were they boarding the ship?

"Just shut up and trust me for a second, okay?" Krolia grinned, pushing Keith into the ship. She had a brilliant idea and she just hoped it would go down well. She promptly jogged round to the other side and climbed in, before starting the ship up. Keith slumped back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh. 

"Can you please tell me what on earth we are doing in this ship?" Keith groaned, glancing towards his mother. Krolia simply shook her head as they took off, speeding off into the darkness of space. 

It seemed like they had been travelling for hours now, and Keith was starting to get bored. He was like a little kid on a long car ride. Krolia was started to get irked by his constant groaning and moaning now. Thankfully, she was almost at the destination she had planned to go to. 

"Instead of being a whiny baby, can you go back there and check that the engines are doing okay? This ship isn't the youngest of the bunch." Krolia had a plan to get Keith out the cockpit, as she needed to make a secret call.

"Fine, but you should have chosen a better ship. It's your fault if we die." Keith complained, getting up from his seat and disappearing out the cockpit. As soon as he left, Krolia managed to use the dashboard to figure out how to contact another ship. The other end picked up rather quick and seeing that they had been contacted by a Galra, got very defensive and ready to fight. 

"Please, don't feel threatened by me. I am part of the coalition. I was once part of the Blade Of Mamora. You can trust me, I promise you." Krolia spoke, getting them to calm down.

"Who are you and why are you approaching our ship?" The voice rang through the cockpit, the tone still somewhat defensive. 

"I am Krolia. I... I am Keith's mother," The recipients on the other end all gasped and turned to one another, shocked looks on their faces. "Princess Allura, paladins of Voltron, I have someone you might want to say hello to."

-

Allura, Coran, Lotor and the paladins all rushed down to the hangers, ready to greet this Galra ship. For all they know, this could be some Galra trick to get aboard the ship. The fact that this Galra had revealed herself to be Keith's mother was something of a shock to everyone. Just as they had arrived, Krolia was unboarding her ship. 

"Princess, paladins, it is lovely to meet you all," Krolia smiled, walking over to the group in front of her. "Keith told me about all of you. He seemed upset that he hasn't been able to see you in a while. So, I decided to bring him here." 

As if on cue, Keith jumped down from the ship, landing with a slight groan. As he sorted himself out, he realised that his old team mates were standing right in front of him, and that he was back in the castle. 

"Keith?!" They all spoke in unison, promptly rushing over to tackle him in a huge group hug. They nearly knocked him over from the force, but he wouldn't have it any other way. 

"I missed you all so much!" Keith mumbled, suddenly feeling rather emotional. Pidge had already started to sob, over the moon to see her team mate back.

"You're never leaving again, understand?" Hunk spoke, tightly snaking his arms around Keith, keeping him from being able to move.

"Okay, big guy. I promise." Keith beamed, finally being let down by the yellow paladin. The group finally disbanded a little, just enough to let Keith breathe.

Shiro waited for his turn to say hello to Keith so he didn't get too overwhelmed. Eventually he got his turn to say hello to his best friend. They two embraced in a tight hug, finally being able to see each other once again. The hug lasted a short while, until a soft cough broke the hug apart. Shiro and Keith broke apart and both turned their attention to the person who had coughed, which turned out to be Lance.

"Am I not going to get a hello?" Lance grinned, holding his arms open for Keith. The former paladin couldn't stop the stupid grin from taking over his face. He was swift to rush over and literally jump into Lance's arms. The two stumbled back a bit due to the force of the hug, but thankfully managed to stay standing. Eventually Lance put Keith back on the ground, the two parting from each other.

"Lance, I missed you so much. Oh my God, I'm so glad to see you." Keith couldn't help but hug Lance again, tightly wrapping his arms around Lance's neck. The other paladin snaked his arms back around Keith's waist, holding him close.

"Oh, so this is Lance?" Krolia spoke up, making her way over to the two boys. Everyone turned their attention towards Keith's mother. The two boys promptly split from each other, both blushing furiously. Krolia stood in front of Lance, grinning from ear to ear. "I've heard so much about you."

"Probably all bad, knowing Keith." Lance joked, glancing at the boy beside him.

"Quiet the opposite, in fact. Keith couldn't shut up about you. He was like a young boy completely and utterly in love." Krolia admitted, turning to face her son, who was hiding his face in his hands, completely mortified.

Everyone else was trying their hardest not to break into laughter behind them. They had never seen Keith in such a state and it was honestly quite the sight.

"Is this true, Keith?" Lance asked, turning towards Keith, who was still hiding his face. All he could do was nod.

"Can we go please, mum?" Keith rushed, grabbing Krolia by the wrist and storming off towards the ship. However, Krolia stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Did you just call me mum?" Krolia asked, watching as Keith started to trip over his words, trying to explain himself. "You called me mum!" Krolia exclaimed, engulfing Keith in a loving, motherly hug. Everyone else awed at the two, overwhelmed with joy for Keith. He finally had family.

A loud bang stopped their celebration and the floor rumbled and shook from the impact. Smoke filled the hanger where they were, causing the group to cough and wheeze. After the smoke had cleared, they saw what had caused the smoke and bang. Red had crushed the ship that would take Keith and Krolia back to the Blade. They couldn't helped but laugh at the robot lion, all of them knowing what it was trying to say through it's actions.

"That's Red for you." Keith commented, shaking his head at the lion.

-

Keith wondered the halls, not being able to sleep. Since Red broke their ship, the two weren't able to return straight away. It felt nice to be back, to be with everyone again, but he still felt lonely.

"Oi, Keith," Lance's voice echoed through the halls, catching Keith's attention. Lance was stood at his door, blanket draped around his shoulders. For the first time in ages, Keith felt nervous to be around Lance. What was he going to say after earlier? "Come on, I know you can't sleep."

Keith let out a short sigh, the butterflies in his stomach trying desperately to escape their prison. He shuffled over into Lance's room, feeling some sort of comfort being back there.

"I'm sorry for earlier, mum's can be like that." Keith mumbled, sitting himself down on Lance's bed.

"I'm so happy that you found your mum, Keith. It must feel amazing to have family here in space." Lance sat himself next to Keith, letting out a sharp sigh as he did.

"It does. I think she likes you, Lance."

"I think you like me, Keith," Lance grinned, nudging Keith with his shoulder. Keith groaned and nudged Lance back, not wanting to talk about that at this very moment. "I like you too, you know?"

"Lance, we can't. It's not the right time. We aren't even together a lot of the time. Any one of us could die. We can't. I couldn't deal with it. Being away now is already too much." Keith rushed out, shaking his head as he spoke. Lance frowned, resting a hand on Keith's knee, which thankfully calmed him down a little.

"Calm down, Keith. It's okay. I promise you. I get what you mean. I am just happy that I get to at least spend this one night with you. One night, just liked it used to be." Lance managed to force a small smile. Keith let out a long sigh and rested his head on Lance's shoulder.

"Thank you."

Soon enough, the two boys were snuggled up in Lance's bed, content being with just one another. This is all they ever wanted and they finally had a chance to enjoy it.

Keith had his head rested on Lance's chest, listening to the gentle heartbeat of Lance's heart. Lance was running his fingers through Keith's hair, savouring every moment of this blissful event. They never wanted this to end, even though they knew it would eventually end.

"Keith, when this ends and you have to leave again, please promise me one thing?" Lance muttered, earning a hum in response to his question. "Keep fighting. Even if you don't feel like it, do it for me."

"I promise, Lance. I'll keep fighting, if you keep fighting for me." Keith responded. Lance smiled to himself, letting out a content sigh as the two lay together.

-

Allura and Coran agreed to let Keith and Krolia use one of their spare ships to get them back to the Blade. It was a short visit and it was bittersweet the whole way through.

Everyone was there to wish them off. Even Lotor decided he would say goodbye. He didn't do this often enough to know what it's like. Everyone had also noticed that Lance and Keith were practically inseparable. They were also both completely miserable.

"I don't want to go." Keith grumbled, standing next to Lance, hands tightly gripping each other. Lance nodded in response; he felt that if he spoke, he would begin to cry and wouldn't stop.

"Keith, I'm sorry baby, but we have to go back. The Blade will be wondering where we are." Krolia frowned, reaching out a hand for Keith. He shook his head and took a step back.

"Keith, stop being stubborn and just go, okay? You're making this harder for everyone." Lance spoke, his voice almost emotionless. He let go of Keith's hand, trying to convince him to leave. It hurt him to do such a thing, but the longer the Keith stayed, the longer the pain would last.

"Lance-"

"Go, Keith. Please." Lance interrupted Keith before he could argue back. Keith furrowed his brows, angered by Lance's sudden coldness.

"Fine." Keith spat, turning sharply on his heel as he headed towards the ship. Lance's heart felt like it shattered right there and then.

"Wait, Keith!" Lance yelled, before taking off in a sprint towards the ship. Lance managed to reach Keith just before he boarded the ship, grabbing him by the wrist. Keith turned swiftly to face the paladin, the cold look still on his face. "This wouldn't be a dramatic goodbye without a kiss now, would it?"

Keith couldn't help but grin at this stupid boy stood in front of him. In fact, this stupid gesture from this stupid boy made the whole situation a little less painful. The two were quick to lock lips in a deep, passionate goodbye kiss. It was a short and sweet moment, just like it should be.

"Come back and visit again, promise?" Lance mumbled as he pulled away from Keith, not wanting to let him go so easily.

"Promise."

"Come on Keith, it's time we get going. It was lovely meeting everyone. Especially you, Lance. I hope to have good seats for your wedding." Krolia smirked, winking at Lance. He shot her a thumbs up, and soon enough the two were flying off back into space, far away from the castle.

It was silent for a moment, before Hunk spoke up from behind everyone.

"There's going to be a wedding?!"


	2. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> keith and his mother bond more, whilst Matt and Lance talk about the kiss.

Keith was completely silent on their way back to the Blade. Krolia's heart broke at the sight of her son in such a depressed state. It was obvious to her that he loved and cared for his team dearly and wanted nothing more than to be with them. He wanted nothing more than to be able to be with Lance. 

"You know, Keith," Krolia pressed a few buttons on the ship's dashboard, halting the engines. "When your father and I met, we were in a position where it was hard to see each other. Yet we knew that we could make it work, even with all the dangers that came with it. We knew that we were meant to be together and we fought hard to make it work."

"Lance and I weren't meant to be together, mum. That's why we decided not to do anything about it." Keith grumbled, his chin rested in the palm of his hand, his gaze still fixed on the darkness of space surrounding them. 

"I see the way you two act around each other and I couldn't disagree more. You and him have a unique bond. Keith, you don't want to lose someone as great as him. Trust me on that. I believe that you can make this work, someway, somehow." Krolia smiled fondly at Keith, hoping that her words would knock some sense into him. 

"It's already too late. I can't go back now to tell him and I have no other way I could contact him. Just forget it, please." Keith's tone had little emotion to it, yet seemed to be dripping with hurt. Unfortunately, Keith was right. They couldn't go back now. 

The rest of the journey back was completely silent, except for the distant hum of the ship engines. Keith practically disappeared as soon as the ship had docked up, leaving Krolia to herself. In all honesty, she really had no idea how to help Keith. She didn't even really know him too well, despite him being her son.

Krolia rushed off to find Keith, knowing that she needed to talk to him some more. Explain why she left, what happened between her and his father and why he should try this with Lance. Thankfully, the brooding boy hadn't wandered off too far. 

"Keith, come with me. We need to talk some more," Krolia grabbed her son by the wrist and dragged him off to sit down somewhere. He didn't resist or pull back, which seemed wrong for Keith. Eventually, they both found a place to sit and chat. They sat across from one another in silence for a few moments, as Krolia figured out what she needed to say. "When your father and I met, we knew that it would be a difficult time. He was human, I'm an alien. Yet we fell madly in love and there was nothing that could keep us apart. Through it all, we stuck together. In fact, we were just like you and Lance."

"Yes, but you weren't fighting a massive intergalactic space war." Keith commented, sulking back into his seat. Krolia sighed and rubbed her temples, wondering how long it would take for Keith to get the damn message. 

"That isn't the point, Keith. I wasn't going to let him go for anything. Then, we had you. It was the best moment of my life. I had never been so happy. You were the perfect baby boy. Your father and I loved you dearly. Every day was something special. You made us so incredibly happy and you brought us together."

"So, you're saying that Lance and I should have a kid? I'm not sure if you know how that works and all, but we can't do that."

"Shut up. That isn't what I'm saying!" Krolia snapped, yelling at Keith. She didn't mean to, she just got frustrated. Keith frowned at this reaction, dropping his gaze. "I watched as you grew from a baby to a toddler. Your first word, your first steps, the first time you laughed and the first time you cried. You take a lot after me. Hot-headed, closed in, acts before thinking."

"Then, why did you leave me?" Keith asked, his voice soft and timid. The look in his eyes was full of wonder and sadness. 

"Others started to find out what was going on. Specifically, my race. Our relationship was highly frowned upon. I had to leave to keep you and your father safe; I feared that they may kill you if I had stayed. I couldn't deal with such heartbreak. Every day I regretted my decision to leave, wondering whether you and your father were okay, or even still alive. Years late, I learn my son is in space, fighting against the Galra and in the same guild I used to be in. It gave me something to fight for again." Krolia couldn't help but let a little grin creep on her face as she finished, remembering all the times from when the three of them were together. If she could go back to those times, she would in a heartbeat.

Keith had no words to say. His heart felt like it was about to burst from a mixture of strong emotions. This cocktail of emotions was brewing stronger and stronger, until he just couldn't keep it back anymore. He covered his face with his hands as he began to sob, tears welling up in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. Things were finally starting to make sense for him. He couldn't say that one feeling was more prominent over the others. On one hand, he felt happy; relieved that he finally had an answer. On the other hand, he was heartbroken and angered by this whole thing. 

Krolia wasn't exactly sure how to react to Keith's sudden emotional breakdown, as she had never really encountered someone crying before. Her motherly instinct kicked in and she moved her self so she was sat next to her son, an arm wrapped around his shoulder to comfort him. She pulled him into her, hoping that this would help calm him down. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Keith finally looked up at her, cheeks stained with tears and eyes red and swollen. 

"It's okay to cry, Keith. It's overwhelming, I know. Please remember that both your father and I never stopped loving you, even when we left." Krolia cooed, wiping away the tears from under Keith's eyes with her thumbs. Keith forced a teary smile at her, before wrapping his arms around her neck in a tight hug. It caught Krolia off guard, but she was quick to hug her son back. 

"I love you too, mum."

-

"Lance, Lance please, can we talk?" Matt pestered Lance, following down the empty halls. The paladin wasn't listening to him, ignoring his desperate pleas. Matt groaned and jogged up behind Lance, reaching and grabbing his wrist. Lance stopped in his tracks, spinning around to meet Matt as he tugged his arm away. 

"What do you even want to talk about, Matt?" Lance snapped, taking a slight step back from his friend. Matt sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"I'm sorry that I kissed you, okay? It was just a heat of the moment thing, it meant nothing." Matt mumbled, shuffling from foot to foot as he spoke, not really knowing what to say.

"Still, it wasn't an okay thing to do. I don't have those types of feelings for you Matt, and I doubt that you have them for me. So please, don't do it again." Lance began to walk away again, already done with this conversation. 

That night, Lance laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. So much had happened recently that he truly had no idea how he was meant to be feeling. The feelings he had for Keith were strong, but he couldn't act on them. At the same time, he could always turn to Matt if he ever needed the comfort. A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts and he groaned as he pushed himself up off the bed. He pushed the button to open the door and it hissed open, yet again revealing Matt. The two just stared at each other for a short moment, before Lance pulled him inside and swiftly shut the door behind them. Matt stumbled in, wondering why Lance had pulled him in so eagerly. 

"Lance, what the hell has-"

Matt was cut off when Lance grabbed his cheeks, pulling him in for a rushed and desperate kiss. Matt's hands automatically fell to rest on Lance's waist, pulling him in even closer. Neither of them really knew what was going on, but they both wanted this. Lance deepened the kiss, pushing Matt back onto the bed. Lance ended up straddling the older one's waist as they continued to kiss, completely involved with one another. Matt's hands slipped under Lance's shirt, caressing the warm honey skin which laid beneath it. 

The coldness of Matt's hands caused Lance to gasp, which resulted in a low chuckle from Matt himself. Lance pulled back a little, grinning down at Matt below him. Before long, they were locking lips again, enjoying each other's company and touch. They melted into each other, the kiss a little softer this time around. Matt's hands explored the skin of Lance, taking in every bump, dip and curve. The paladin broke the kiss to sit up, swiftly pulling his top off over his head and discarding of it to the side. Pink scars covered his stomach from previous battles, intriguing Matt. He ran his hand over each one, letting his fingers ghost over each unique mark on Lance's skin. 

"I never knew..." Matt whispered, watching as Lance's eyes shifted from Matt's hand to his eyes. Lance simply shrugged, taking hold of Matt's hand and playing with his fingers absent-mindedly. 

"I guess it's a part of the job I do." Lance joked, grinning down at Matt as he leaned back down, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. 

"They make you look like a tiger; fierce, yet absolutely stunning." Matt commented, resting his hand on the back of Lance's neck, pulling him in for yet another kiss. A loud knock of the door startled them both, and they were quicm to split apart. They both looked at each other, wondering what they should do. People would freak if they knew what was happening in Lance's room! Suddenlt, Matt had a brilliant idea. 

Matt pressed the button to open the door, letting it hiss open to reveal Shiro standing at the door. He looked rather confused when Matt opened the door and not Lance. 

"Uh, what are you doing here, Matt?" Shiro asked, raising a brow at his friend. Matt sighed and pointed towards Lance, who was cuddled under the covers of his bed. 

"I came to see Lance, to ask if he was okay. Just here making sure that he is coping okay." Matt lied, somehow convincing Shiro this was actually the case. Shiro nodded and sighed, leaning against the door frame. 

"Well, now I know he's okay, I can go. I came to check up on him too. Hey, why is your lip swollen?" Shiro asked, furrowing his brows and pointing to Matt's lip. Absolute panic ran through both of them and Matt had to think of an excuse, fast. 

"I uh, walked into the wall earlier. I wasn't looking where I was going. Oops!" Matt forced a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced over at Lance. Shiro nodded, his brows still furrowed together in confusion. "Well, uh, nice seeing you around Shiro. Bye!"

With that, Matt rapidly closed the door, letting out a long sigh of relief when they were finally alone again. The two couldn't hold back the laughter anymore, holding their stomachs from how hard they were giggling. 

-

Keith panted as he bent down, resting his hands on his knees. He and Krolia had decided to do a little training. What he never expected was for her to push him past his limits. His fringe was soaked with sweat, yet Krolia seemed unfazed by the amount they had done. 

"You look as if you're about to die," Krolia chuckled, helping Keith stand up straight. He was still struggling to breathe, as Krolia could easily tell. She grabbed Keith's arms and placed them behind his head. Keith gave her a confused look, wondering what she was doing. "It helps open up the lungs, trust me."

"Thanks," Keith breathed, taking a few deep breaths, the pain finally starting to subside. "Never had that amount of training with Voltron." 

"I expect not. You still fight well though." Krolia grinned, jabbing her son in the side, earning a quiet 'hey!' as she did. The two of them shared a muffled laugh as they headed back to get freshened up.

When Keith got back to his room, he flopped down on his bed, wondering what was going on back at the castle. He wanted to go back again, he already missed everyone dearly. Especially Lance. He wondered whether Lance missed him as much as he did. He wondered what Lance was up to. He wondered when he could go back and visit.

All he wanted was to be with Lance again. To be able to hold him, kiss him, share those special moments with him. Lance completely occupated his mind, every single second of every passing day they weren't together. The things he would give to be able to spend just one more second with Lance. It was a heat of the moment decision, but Keith knew he had to go back. They weren't exactly doing anything right now, so why not? He rushed out his room, searching around for Krolia. 

"We need to go back to the castle!" Keith breathed, out of breath from running around to find his mum. Krolia grinned from ear to ear, dropping what she was doing to give her attention to Keith. 

"I was wondering when you would say that."

-

They arrived at the castle a few hours later, Keith practically jumping up and down from how excited he was. Keith had really changed since he met his mother; it was both a strange yet amazing change. Krolia and Keith walked themselves to the main hall of the castle, knowing that they would all be there. The door to the hall hissed open and the two arrived, revealing them to the rest of the group. 

"Keith's back!" Hunk exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. He rushed up and ran over to Keith, scooping him up in his infamous bear hug. Keith hugged back, happy to see his friend again. Pidge was soon to follow, getting her hug in once Hunk was finished. 

"I missed you guys!" Keith beamed, glad to be back once again. Allura and Coran were grinning at him from the other side of the room, happy to see their original red paladin back in the castle again. 

"We all wondered when you'd be back. We knew it wouldn't be too long." Shiro commented, resting his hand on Keith's shoulder. Keith rolled his eyes, pulling his friend in for a hug. 

"Keith, I believe we haven't properly had the chance to meet yet." Lotor spoke up, sauntering over to the small group. Everyone took a small step back from Keith as Lotor walked up, letting the two meet. It was like letting two dogs meet for the first time; either they would get along, or they would rip each other's throats out. 

"Lotor, it's weird to see you not trying to kill us," Keith cracked a joke for perhaps the first time, shocking everyone. Still, everyone still laughed at it. Even Lotor! "I never got to thank you for saving my life out there."

"What?" Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, and Krolia all spoke in unison at this revelation. keith suddenly forget that none of them knew that he had tried to sacrifice himself to save them all in the midst of battle. 

"I saved Keith's life. He was going to drive his ship into the barrier to break it. That's when I came in and just shot straight through it. Keith was willing to sacrifice his life to save you all." Lotor commented, shooting a soft, fond smile at the former paladin. 

"I can second that. This hot head wouldn't listen to me." Matt appeared out of nowhere, ruffling Keith's hair as he walked up behind him. 

"If it's what I had to do for the team, I would have done it. No one would have known anyways." Keith shrugged, brushing off the situation off like it was nothing. Everyone was silent. They didn't know how to process this sort of information. Keith was ready to die for the team and yet, they never even knew. 

"Thank you, Keith. We all love you but please, don't sacrifice yourself for us. We're a team, we can't function without you." Pidge spoke up, her eyes somewhat teary. Keith smiled and nodded at her, letting her know that he wasn't going to do it again. 

"Hey, where's Lance?" Keith asked, looking around the room. Everyone else started looking too, realizing their current red paladin wasn't with them. Shiro looked at Matt, who was fiddling with his fingers. Shiro could almost tell that Matt and Lance had been up to something. 

"Matt, you were with him last, I'm sure of it," Shiro raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't sure what had gotten into him; this is something he would never usually do. It wasn't his business. Everyone turned to look at Matt, confused looks on all their faces. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. I was with him last night when he wasn't feeling well and-"

"He's in his room then, still. Surely he's in there, right? Has anyone seen him recently?" Keith asked, now starting to panic about where the missing paladin was. The group exchanged glances with each other, shrugging and shaking their heads. Keith groaned, before taking off in a sprint down the empty hallways. 

Keith called out Lance's name, trying to find out where he was. It really seemed as if he had disappeared. He knew that sometimes he would go down with the lions, but it seemed unlikely he would be there right now. Keith continued to call out Lance's name, getting more and more desperate to find him with each passing tick. 

"Lance? Lance?! Where are you?" Keith called out, panting for breath as he stopped to look around. Where on earth could he be?! It seemed impossible to find him at this very moment. He needed to stop and catch his breath, otherwise, he felt as if he may pass out. Keith leaned against the wall, silence surrounding him. Why was Lance not answering him? Where was he? Suddenly, he heard his name being called. Perhaps it was one of the others calling him back, coming to find him and talk to him. 

"Keith? Where are you? I need to talk to you, before you find Lance!" It was Matt. Keith perked up at this, wondering what it was that he had to say. Matt soon caught up to him, a solemn look splattered across his face. "Oh thank God, Keith. I need to talk to you."

"Matt, what's wrong?" Keith asked, raising a brow. 

"Keith, I'm so sorry-"

"Spit it out!" Keith yelled, already frustrated as it was. Matt took a deep breath, bracing himself for what Keith may do to him. 

"You are going to hate me forever and ever after I tell you this. I'm so sorry but... I kissed Lance. Twice. He was feeling sad and lonely and I didn't know what to do and-"

"You did what?" Keith growled, pushing himself off the wall. Matt took a step back, ready to run if he needed to. He knew that if Keith wanted to hurt him, he would. "Why would you do that?! Is that why he isn't here?! Is that why- Oh my god." 

"No Keith, we didn't do anything, I swear. Well, not much at least!" Matt put his hands out in front of him, trying to stop Keith from approaching him. The former paladin couldn't process what was going on; it was all too much for it. The world was spinning around him and everything seemed blurry. He soon figured out the blurriness was from the fact that he was crying. "Oh, Keith. I'm so sorry. I messed up so badly." 

"Just go, please. I want to be alone." Keith nearly choked on his tears, trying desperately to wipe them away as he stormed off down the hall. In all honesty, he had no idea where he was heading. Hopefully, somewhere where no one would be able to find him and he could be alone for a while. He wasn't looking where he was walking as he made his way around the castle, keeping his head low as the tears continued to fall. A few seconds later, Keith smacked straight into someone as he rounded the corner. 

"Keith? Keith, oh my- Keith?!" It was Lance. Why couldn't this have happened earlier? Lance tried to pull Keith in for a hug, only to be pushed away. "What's wrong, why are you crying?" 

"You're such an asshole, Lance," Keith spat, the tears still falling at a rapid rate. "How could you do such a thing to me? I thought we had something!"

"Oh, Matt told you?" Lance mumbled, folding his arms across his stomach. He suddenly felt dirty and horrible. How could he have done such a disgusting thing? "Keith, it meant nothing. It was his idea. Please, listen to me."

"Why should I?" Keith spoke, no longer trying to wipe away the falling tears. 

"Because Keith, I really like you! Shit, I think I may even love you! All this time together we've had, ever since our days in the Garrison! I can't lose you now Keith, even though what I did was so stupid and you should hate me forever. Please." Lance was practically on his knees begging for Keith not to leave his side. He had Keith's hands clasped in his own, his eyes pleading for Keith to understand him. 

"Lance, promise me that you will never do anything so dumb ever again?" Keith asked, wiping under his eyes to get rid of the lingering wetness. Lance let out a long sigh of relief, pulling Keith into a thankful hug. 

"I promise, I promise Keith. I promise so much. I won't ever do anything like it again. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless I can do it with you?" Lance couldn't help but smirk at his own comment, glad to see that he could make Keith smile, even if he felt like actual shit. 

-

The two eventually returned back to the main hall, where everyone was still waiting. They all smiled at Lance and Keith as they came in, wondering what the two had been up to when no one else was around. 

"So, you finally found him! Where was he hiding this time?" Pidge grinned, pushing her glasses back up her nose. Hunk nodded his head in agreement with the green paladin. 

"I just happened to bump into him. Quite literally." Keith laughed, making his way over to the large couch like sitting areas to take a seat. Lance followed closely behind him, taking a seat directly next to him. 

"So, I want to know everything about you Lance!" Krolia spoke up, sitting herself opposite her son and his... friend. 

"Well, I was in the Garrison, just like Keith. I was actually just below him on literally everything we did. A rivalry formed between us pretty quickly actually. I'm originally from a place on Earth called Cuba. It's a cool place. I have a really big family and I miss them quite a bit." Lance grinned as he talked about life back on Earth. 

"Wow, sounds interesting. Have you always liked Keith?" Krolia grinned, waiting to hear more about this guy her son liked so much. 

"Honestly? No. I used to hate him when I first met him. Then I realized it wasn't hate and it was something so much more. I just had to keep acting as if we had this massive rivalry going on between us." The paladin shrugged off the rest of the question, not knowing how to put it into words that he was almost obsessed with Keith.

"Aw, you used to hate me? That's so cute!" Keith mocked, resting his head on Lance's shoulder with a chuckle. Lance rolled his eyes, wondering how on earth he ended up falling for this guy. 

"You two are gross." Pidge grimaced, turning back to her little space laptop she was typing away on. Hunk chuckled at Pidge's silly comment; she found them cute really, she just wasn't one to admit such a thing. An alarm suddenly started to blare through the castle, striking concern through everyone. Princess Allura rushed in, shouting at the paladins to get ready. 

"What's going on?" Keith asked, glancing over to his mother and then to Allura. 

"We're under attack!" Allura announced, causing everyone to react and get to where they needed to be. Lance turned to Keith, not knowing what he was to do. He wasn't prepared for anything like this! 

"It's going to be okay, Keith. You're coming with me, in Red." Lance didn't give Keith a choice in the matter. They both began to run towards the door, ready to get to the lions. 

"Wait, Keith!" Shiro called, grabbing his attention. "I want you to take Black. I need you too. I can't fight right now." 

The tone of Shiro's voice let everyone know he was serious about this. Lance let himself sigh; he knew Shiro wasn't himself. Inside, Keith was more than happy to be back in the cockpit of a lion. On the outside, he kept a calm composure and nodded towards Shiro. With that, the last two ran off towards the lions.

"Shiro, why aren't you piloting Black?" Coran asked, a brow raised towards the Black Paladin. 

"I think the reason these Galra are even here... I think it's me."


	3. Hunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone worries about Hunk, and Shiro comes clean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: angst and violence up ahead. enjoy :)

"Shiro, why aren't you piloting Black?" Coran asked, a brow raised towards the Black Paladin.

"I think the reason these Galra are even here... I think it's me."

-

It felt weird to be piloting the Black Lion once again, but it was even more strange when she opened up straight away to him. Maybe she remembered their time together, when Shiro was missing and he had to leave red. It's like the bond they made never broke even after all this time apart. Which is strange because Black didn't open up to Shiro when he came back, so why was that? It also felt weird to be back in the paladin armor, after getting used to the BOM armor it was a massive change. 

"Hello, Black." Keith whispered as he rested his hands on the arms of the chair, leaning back into the seat. The lion purred gently in response to Keith's greeting. It was time to fly again; the five of them shot out the castle, racing into the black of space to defend their home. It was clear as soon as they exited the ship that this was not going to be an easy fight. Many galra fighter ships surrounded the area. At this rate, they'd need at least 5 separate Voltron's to be able to defeat them all. 

"Uh, guys, this is a lot more than we first thought." Hunk's voice echoed through the coms, confirming what everyone was thinking.

"Okay team, we need to split up. Pidge, take out the fleet on the left, Hunk, you take right. Lance and I will take on the biggest fleet," Keith instructed, the two of them flying off to do their jobs. "Allura, you take out any stragglers and any you can manage to find elsewhere. Those stragglers can be a nuisance, so please be careful."

"Got it." Allura nodded, soon zooming away from Lance and Keith. This sure as hell was going to end messily for one side or the other. 

"Lance?" Keith called through his com, catching the pilots attention. 

"Yeah?"

Keith smirked from ear to ear, setting Black up ready to go. "Give them hell." 

With Keith's final instruction, the two of them flew off into battle. Red swerved around all the ships, taking them out one by one with no effort. As the fastest lion, Red could take out the easier ships with no problem. Black was a little slower, but even so was much more powerful. The two were an unstoppable team, taking out the majority of the fleet within just minutes. However, no matter how many they killed off, they just seemed to come back.

"How many fleets do they have?!" Pidge exclaimed, letting Green do what she needed to do. 

"They must be coming from somewhere!" Allura yelled, finally getting rid of the ship she'd been chasing down for ages. 

"Paladins, there is a Galra ship somewhere nearby, the Castle radar is picking it up! Can you see it anywhere?" Coran entered into the conversation, giving the paladins the answer they needed. However, no ship was in sight.

"There is nothing out here, Coran. Are you sure you're picking it up correctly?" Lance asked, trying not to sound too panicked in the midst of a battle. 

"I believe it may have cloaked itself. Only one person would be able to do that. Haggar." Lotor added in, furrowing his brows as he watched the paladins fight down every last fighter ship that came their way. He could tell they were getting tired and probably weren't going to be able to do this for much longer. 

Lotor stormed off, wanting to help desperately but not knowing what he could do. In fact, he was pretty much powerless now, despite the fact he was now the Emporer. He couldn't just tell them to stop, that wouldn't happen. All he knew was that Haggar was after something. Was she going to finish what Zarkon had started?

 "We can't keep this up for much longer!" Hunk sounded distressed to say the very least. Soon after that, a loud explosion echoed through the coms, static following soon after. 

"What was that?!" Keith asked, rapidly looking around to see what had just occurred. 

"I'm not sure." Lance answered, managing to take out another ship. Keith could tell by the tone of his voice that he was starting to stress and tire out. 

"We need help!" Allura shouted, trying her hardest to keep up with all the things that were currently happening around her. Keith knew something bad had happened, and as he was looking around, he saw something that would stay with him forever. 

"Hunk!" Keith bellowed, dropping everything mid-battle to rush over to the Yellow Lion. He had been hit bad, it was obvious due to the damage on the lion. "Hunk, buddy, respond to me please!"

"Keith, you need to stay out here and fight! I'll get him back to the castle!" Allura rushed over to where the two lions were, letting Keith get on with fighting. A new fire was lit in Keith in that very moment. How dare they hurt Hunk. How dare they even try such a thing. Keith went absolutely berserk on the rest of the ships, taking them out like no tomorrow. He let no one get away. 

The way Keith was taking out the fighter ships like to was no big deal seemed to scare off the hovering Galra ship near them. Perhaps they knew that losing so many soldiers wasn't the smartest thing they could do. By the time the ship and all its fighter ships had left, Keith was practically shaking. He was sat in Black's seat, his arms shaking from how angry and exhausted he was. He was almost gasping for breath. Keith eventually came back around and headed back to the castle with everyone else, hoping that Hunk was going to be okay. 

Keith rushed out the Lion's hangers to where the cryopods were, hoping that Hunk wasn't dead. It felt like all his fault that Hunk had gotten himself into such a mess. Everyone had already gathered themselves around the pod, waiting anxiously for Keith to get back. The doors hissed open to reveal Keith to the rest of the group. They all had solemn looks on their faces, which couldn't be a good sign for anything.

"Is he... Is he-?"

"Dead? No, but he's hurt. Badly." Lance interrupted Keith before he could finish, walking over to the exhausted paladin. Keith threw himself at Lance, engulfing him in a worried hug. Everyone was terrified for what may happen to Hunk; his injuries were severe and they weren't sure whether the pods would even work at this point. Lance ran his hand up and down Keith's back, desperately trying to calm him down. Keith's hands were balled into fists and he couldn't take his eyes off the pod. Hunk looked so peaceful- almost dead like. It was such a horrendous thought, losing Hunk.

"Don't you worry Keith, I'm sure he'll be out in no time!" Coran tried his best to lighten the mood in the place, which helped everyone a little. Keith managed to force a small smile for Coran, finally letting go of Lance. 

Matt was holding Pidge in his arms, as she was sobbing aggressively. Hunk was her best friend and she was distraught. The two of them had always been inseparable and now Hunk was being forcefully torn away from her, like some sick joke. It broke everyone's heart to see her in such a state. 

"I'm going to go be alone for a while." Keith broke the silence, promptly turning and exiting the room. The corridors seemed eerily quiet as he walked down to his old room where he used to stay. Everything just seemed so wrong now that Hunk wasn't really around. Echoing footsteps crept up behind Keith, grabbing his attention from his thoughts. 

"Hey, I don't trust you being alone in a situation like this." Lance's comforting smile was just what Keith needed. All Keith did was hold his hand out for Lance, and he took it without hesitation. They ended up walking back to Lance's room. 

It was like as soon as they entered Lance's room, they become two different people. Now that Lance had changed back out his paladin suit, it was a lot more comfortable to hug him. They stayed embracing each other, slightly swaying, for a short while. They were just enjoying each others company, letting themselves melt into each other, thankful no one else was around them. Keith pulled back a little from the hug, slipping Lance's jacket off his shoulder's and discarding it to the side. Lance couldn't help the fond smile that took over his face as Keith did this for him.

Keith leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Lance's lips, sweet and lingering. He pressed another gentle kiss to Lance's cheek, then his jaw, and slowly trailed a line of kisses down his neck. It wasn't anything sexual, it was something beautiful. Keith was showing Lance how much he loved and cared for him by doing this, being gentle and soft with everything that he did. Keith was careful as he timidly pulled Lance's shirt off his body, throwing it to the side with the jacket. His hands traveled across the tanned, warm skin, taking in every and each imperfection the scattered his skin. Every scar, every freckle, every dip and curve. Lance let him, relaxing into the touch of the one he loved most. Lance soon took Keith's hands into his own, slowly bringing them up to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss to each finger tip. 

The blush that dusted over Keith's cheeks made Lance know that what he was doing made Keith feel good about himself. Lance dropped Keith's hands, helping Keith to remove his shirt, dropping it on the ground. The paladin let his fingers ghost over the large scar on Keith's right shoulder, as if the action could perhaps remove the memory and the pain of it all. Lance couldn't help but press his lips against the scar, letting the kiss linger for a little while before pulling back. 

"You're so beautiful, Keith," Lance whispered, everything seeming so perfect. Keith's grin grew from ear to ear. 

"Says you," Keith commented, placing his hands on Lance's cheeks, pulling him in for a simple quick kiss. The two then made their way over to the bed, both snuggling under the covers before cuddling close together. Keith stayed close to Lance's side, silence between them. "Do you think Hunk will make it?"

"Of course, he's a fighter." Lance seemed unsure of his answer, perhaps he was trying to make Keith feel better. Deep down, Lance knew Keith blamed himself for what had happened to the yellow paladin. After all, he was the leader of Voltron for that moment in time.

"I should have been focusing more, checking that the others were doing okay." Keith mumbled, tracing shapes onto Lance's bare shoulder. Lance sighed deeply, wanting to bring back Hunk right now. If he could have taken Hunk's place, he would have. 

"You did amazing, Keith. Don't doubt yourself for a moment. Hunk will be okay. I promise you."

-

Shiro had been very... off, lately. Lance especially had noticed this, considering how much time he spent around him now. He wasn't himself; perhaps he just wasn't feeling well, or was feeling stressed. Or maybe, perhaps he really wasn't himself.

He usually sat alone, brooding about something. His arms stayed crossed over his chest. Shiro began to snap a lot more at everyone, yelling at people for the dumbest of reasons. Lance had been a victim of this far too often. Pidge got so upset when Shiro had yelled at her, causing Lance to have a go at Shiro and stand up for her. The team was quite frankly falling apart, but Lance just couldn't put his finger on what was wrong with Shiro.It was like he had completely lost control of his mind and body, becoming some empty shell of a human. 

As the days passed, Shiro became more and more distant towards the whole team. Coran didn't know if he should say something, considering what Shiro had told him a few days earlier. Perhaps that was something Shiro should explain himself, as he would understand it a lot better. Whilst the rest of the team stayed around Hunk's pod, hoping desperately that he would emerge sometime soon, Shiro would wander off somewhere else, trying to clear his mind of this weird headache he had going on. 

"Shiro?" lance's soft voice caused the older man to jump, swiftly turning on his heel to face his fellow paladin. "Is everything okay?"

"How did you know I would be here?" Shiro asked, brows furrowing. Lance shrugged, taking a few steps towards Shiro. "Why are you here?"

"You haven't been yourself recently and everyone is super worried. Talk to me, Shiro. What the hell has gotten into you?" Lance's worried tone struck a chord in Shiro; he couldn't hold back what he was hiding anymore. 

"I... Don't think I'm Shiro." The comment confused Lance, seeing as he raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest moments later. Shiro groaned, getting frustrated with himself. "Something is wrong with me. I can't shift this dumb headache and I'm tearing the team apart. I feel different. I feel wrong."

"So you're saying that you aren't the _real_  Shiro?" Lance asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he waited for an asnwer. The dimly lit halls made it hard for Lance to distinguish the exact expression on Shiro's face. 

"The reason the Galra found us... I think it was me. I keep feeling as if someone is watching me- watching us, even." Shiro sounded stressed, wanting to be able to explain this better than he was. 

"Then... Do you have any idea where the  _real_  Shiro may be?" Lance made quotation marks with his fingers at the word real, making emphasis on it. Shiro thought for a second, before nodding. "I don't really know how to react to this situation."

"Neither do I. I don't want people to hate me thinking I betrayed them. I want to help you guys, but I feel I'm being used as a spy." The panic started to set in for both of us. Were they currently being watched now, as they discussed Shiro being fake? What would this bring for the team now?

"You need to tell the rest of the team, Shir- Whoever you are." Lance spoke lowly, the expression on his face a mixture of anguish and betrayal. Shiro knew he had to follow along behind him and did just that, following Lance back to the rest of the team. 

The two entered the hall, the hiss of the doors startling everyone. They were all still crowded around Hunk's pod, waiting with hopeful looks. The way Lance acted around Shiro gave the team a brief insight that something was wrong. Lance hurried over and plopped down next to Keith, his arms crossed firmly over his chest, gaze fixed on the ground. Shiro stood before the team, his heart pounding in his chest. 

He felt as if he may vomit if he spoke, but he knew Lance would probably expose him to the team if he didn't do it himself. After a few deep breaths, Shiro was finally ready to announce what he had just told to Lance. 

"I um, need to tell you all something really important. Please know that right now we may be being watched, so don't say anything which may give us away," The looks on the team's faces were already full of bewilderment. "I don't think I'm the real Shiro. You have all seen how I have been acting recently. I'm always paranoid, I have a strange aching in my head."

Lotor frowned, turning his gaze to the floor for a split second before rising from his seat, carefully making his way over to Shiro. Lotor knew that he would be able to tell first if this Shiro really was a fake one; some obvious Galran signs would be noticeable once he got closer. The Galra stood in front of Shiro, hand resting on his chin as he looked him up and down, making Shiro highly uncomfortable. Lotor grabbed Shiro roughly, turning him so that Shiro's back was facing towards Lotor. 

"Lotor, what are you doing?!" Allura asked, her tone harsh and angered. Lotor hushed her, making her take a step back at the sudden action. 

"I know what I'm doing. Aha!" Lotor announced, finding exactly what he was looking for. "I was correct; unfortunately, this actually isn't the real Shiro."

The whole team gasped, glances being exchanged just seconds later. Lance didn't react, already knowing what had been coming this entire time. 

"Wait, how can this even be possible?" Krolia asked, rushing over to where Lotor was standing. She too had a look, letting out a sharp sigh when she realized that Lotor was actually right. She whipped around to look at Keith, knowing that Shiro had been one of his best friend's for years. Keith looked distraught at the revelation.  

"Not are we only being watched, we are being tracked." Lotor commented, resting his hands on his hips. 

"Can you not just take it out?" Keith asked, raising from his seat. Lance had to react fast and grab Keith's hand, keeping him from charging over there and doing it himself. 

"If we do that, he dies instantly. No stopping it. As much as this isn't your Shiro, I doubt you'd want to see that. Anyways, he may know where the real Shiro is." Lotor sighed, stepping away from Shiro. When Shiro eventually turned back around, he was met with the betrayed looks of his team. They had no idea what they could do now. They never really found Shiro. This wasn't Shiro. So perhaps he was dead and there was no way of getting him back.

"You betrayed us all..." Keith's broken voice broke the silence. 

"Keith, it's not like that at all, I didn't-"

"I can't believe we all trusted you so much." Keith's tone was sharp and bitter, letting the team know how he felt about this situation. He stormed out moments later, fists balled at his side and Lance hot on his heels. 

- 

It was late; Keith wasn't able to sleep. He didn't want to be near anyone right now, so avoided going near Lance's room. The only place which seemed somewhat calming right now was the hall where Hunk's pod was. He could rant to Hunk and not fear being judged, for Hunk wasn't able to hear him. 

The yellow paladin looked so peaceful as he rested in the neon blue pod, the soft humming keeping the room from being eerily silent. Keith sat himself on the steps before the pod, letting out a long sigh as he did. 

"Hey Hunk, things have been really crazy recently. I'm glad you aren't here to witness it. Wait, no, that sounds bad. I just don't want you to go through the stress we are. I'm sorry that I let you get injured out there in the middle of space; I promise to never let it happen again." Once again, Keith let himself sigh, resting his hand on the screen of the pod. It tingled a little, but it was the only way Keith could feel close to Hunk.

"I think I may have to return to the team for a short time, now that Shiro is unable to fight properly. I'm the only other person who could pilot Black. I'm glad to be back, but I'm not the right leader for this team. I don't want to mess up and put us all in danger." Confiding in Hunk seemed calming towards Keith, even if Hunk wasn't really there to listen or help him. Though he knew that if Hunk was really here right now, he would be giving the best advice. 

The room was so quiet, almost deafening. Keith rose from where he sat on the steps, hugging himself as he took one last glance at Hunk's pod. A quiet thank you was all Keith could muster before he turned to walk away, back to his room to get some rest.

His bare feet slapped against the cool floors of the castle as he walked back to his room, thoughts filling his mind and distracting him greatly. All of this was a lot for Keith; suddenly coming back to Voltron, being a leader, Hunk's horrible injuries, Shiro not being Shiro. Everything was slowly beginning to pile up on Keith's shoulders, holding him down under the water until he finally had to gasp for breath. 

-

Keith was awoken that morning by a loud commotion rushing past his room. Assuming it was another attack, he rushed up and got ready before rushing after the group. As he caught up with them, he could see that all was sound and that there was no threat. He continued to follow them, right into the hall. 

To everyone's surprise, Hunk was awake, sat on the couches next to Lotor. The Galra had been up early and decided to check on Hunk, thankfully arriving just soon enough to catch him as he stumbled from the neon blue pod. Pidge sprinted ahead of everyone, practically throwing herself at her friend. Hunk caught her, hugging her close. He was still somewhat sluggish, but at least he was alive and well.

"What did I miss?" Hunk asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The team exchanged glances, wondering who would speak up first. 

"A lot," A breathy laugh from Lance broke the silence. "Keith's back on the team, Shiro isn't Shiro, Keith and I made out-"

"LANCE!"

"Sorry, Keith. The last part was a joke. The rest is all true though." Lance shrugged, slowly inching away from Keith to avoid a punch to the arm. The scowl on Keith's face proved Lance right. 

"Wait wait, what? Shiro isn't Shiro? What do you mean?" Hunk asked, scratching his head. 

"He's a clone, basically. Used to spy on us. So, the real Shiro may still be out there. It's just a fact of whether he is alive or not." Coran butted in, appearing from behind Allura, still dressed in his Altean pajamas. 

"Huh." The response was blunt from Hunk, but what could you expect from someone who just stumbled from a cryopod after ages in there? The team dropped the Shiro issue for that moment to welcome Hunk back, saying their hello's and giving their hugs. 

-

Lance decided that he needed some training, considering he hadn't done it for a good while. It would be nice to get some of the pent-up stress out for once. He was surprised to see Shiro there too, in the middle of his battle training. As soon as he spotted Lance, the robots dropped around him and he stopped.

"Hey, I didn't realise you would be here. I'm sorry." Lance crossed his arms over his stomach, not exactly wanting to be around 'Shiro' right now. Not after what he revealed. 

"It's okay. How about you train with me?" Shiro asked, holding out a hand, inviting Lance to join him in his little battle with the robots. Eh, he may as well, considering he is already here. Lance slung his towel to the side, gripping his bayard tighter in his hand as he jogged towards the middle of the room. 

The simulation soon started up and the robots sprung to life, firing and slashing at the two paladins. The two fought back to back, making sure that they had each other covered. Lance shot down a couple robots in no time, swiftly taking them out with no problem. Shiro seemed to be struggling behind him, so Lance whipped round and took out the robots, relieving Shiro of the battle for a spilt-second. More robots appeared, chucking them straight back into the field. One of the robots fired directly at Lance, knocking him down. The shot's that the robots fired couldn't harm the paladins thankfully, but they did sting a little. 

Shiro helped up his teammate and the two of them took out the last few together, making sure that they were well and truly dealt with. The last robot finally fell, laying limp and lifeless on the ground. Both paladins were breathing heavily, staring down at the now dead robot. Lance grinned up at Shiro, forgetting for that moment that it wasn't really him. When the realization finally sunk back in, the smile dropped. 

"Well, it was nice training with you." Lance mumbled, sharply turning to go and get his towel. Shiro cleared his throat, stopping Lance from where he was heading off to. 

"We aren't done yet." Shiro sounded off, like it wasn't really him. Worry flowed through Lance, wondering just what Shiro was up to. 

"What do you mean?" Lance asked, cocking a brow. For some reason, his body and mind were screaming at him to run and get someone else. His heart for some reason told him to stay. Perhaps this was the real Shiro speaking through him? Shiro bent down and picked up one of the defeated robot's swords, admiring it as he ghosted his fingers over the blade. Lance's feet automatically started to walk him towards Shiro, despite the protest of his head. Maybe he just wanted to train more?

"It'll be a shame to lose a paladin, but you'll be oh so easily replaced." Shiro wasn't Shiro anymore. Lance knew this. Whoever was behind this knew that Lance had to go, considering how much he knew now. First Lance, then the rest of the team. Lance couldn't be angry at this human dummy in the form of Shiro, he was unable to control himself and would surely regret it later. 

"What are you talking about?" Lance asked, his voice shaking as his eyes widened. Shiro had gone completely crazy, under the influence of whoever was controlling him. He knew that Shiro was a dangerous opponent to be in a battle with and that he needed to get him to drop that sword. "Shiro, fight back against them. Don't let them control you. Drop the weapon, please!"

The pleas from the paladin were to no avail and before he could even process what was happening, he felt a sharp pain sear through his side and abdomen. Shiro was fast when he wanted to be and Lance had barely noticed him rush forward, dragging the blade through his flesh. He could already feel the warm crimson liquid spilling out. He was hoping that it wasn't as bad as it felt. The adrenaline pumping through his body made the pain more bearable, which helped him dodge the next swing Shiro took at him. Lance gasped at the burning pain, grabbing his side, almost doubled over in agony. 

"Shiro, listen to me!" Lance screamed out, trying his absolute hardest to get some sort of sense into him. "Fight back against them, I believe you can do it!"

Yet again, Shiro swung at Lance, managing this time to graze his cheek, opening up a wound of his face. The blood soon started to trickle down his face, the feeling uncomfortable. The two stared at each other, panting and gasping for breath, sweat and blood covering them both. Lance wasn't about to give up on Shiro, but he felt dizzy and weak. No one knew they were here, meaning that help would probably come far too late for him. Suddenly Shiro stumbled backwards, grasping at his head. The sword fell from his hand and he shook his head, finally coming back around from... whatever that mess was. Lance couldn't stand any longer and fell to his knees, his whole body shaking from the massive adrenaline rush he was feeling.

"Woah, what happened?" Shiro asked, feeling dazed and confused. It was bright around him and he couldn't quite exactly make out what was in front of him. He could see the colours blue, white and red mixed together. He assumed that Lance and Keith might be in here, due to the colours that he could make out. It wasn't long until he completely passed out, falling to the ground, out cold. 

"Just my luck..." Lance groaned, sneering at the pain that coursed through his body. He could see the red liquid spill onto the floor, surrounding him. Lance needed serious help now but without the ability to walk and the other paladin with him completely gone, he had no choice. With a deep breath, Lance pushed himself up, his legs like jelly as he managed to gain his balance. Every step ached and made him want to vomit, but getting someone to help both him and Shiro was his main priority right now.

Lance travelled through the halls, having to lean against the wall the majority of the time, preventing him from collapsing. Crimson stained the white walls, and Lance would curse himself for making such a mess later. The paladin could hear chatter from somewhere, all he had to do was figure out who it was and where it was coming from.

Keith and Lotor came into view down the other end of the hall, chatting away amongst themselves. Lance was tired, maybe closing his eyes for a second would give him some rest. No, he had to use the last of his energy to call out, get himself noticed. 

"Keith, Lotor, I need..." The paladin couldn't hold himself up any longer, collapsing to the floor in complete agony, his face scrunched up as he tried not to scream out. His hands were pressed against his wound, trying to stop the pain and the blood. The sound of Lance hitting the floor caught the attention of the two down the other end of the hall. 

"Is that... Lance?" Lotor stared at the body on the floor, the familiar blue armor of their beloved paladin confirming their thoughts. 

"Lance!" Keith bellowed, taking off in a sprint down the hall, Lotor hot on his heels behind him. they were both out of breath when they reached Lance, suddenly realizing why he was on the floor. Keith dropped to his knee's beside the injured paladin, cautiously moving him up onto his lap. Lance cried out at the sudden movement, his hand pressing down harder against the open wound on his abdomen. "Oh my... What happened, Lance?! Speak to me!"

Lotor was now sat by Keith, checking over the wounds that Lance had obtained. The blood was soaking through Lance's paladin bodysuit and staining the surrounding wall and floor. Lotor's hands were also covered now, as he removed lance's hands from the wound to put greater pressure on it. It was weird seeing Lotor in such a compassionate and worried light, considering not long ago he had been trying to kill them all. 

"Shiro, he went crazy and just started swinging..." Lance forced out, hiding his face in his arm, not wanting Keith to look at him in such a state. Keith let out a shaky sigh as he looked up at Lotor, who was desperately trying to help. "I tried to stop him."

"I know you did, you did so well. We need to get you help, Lance, at this rate you'll bleed out. Lotor-"

"I'm not leaving you alone with Lance in such a state, Keith. Shiro needs our help too, I understand that. From what I understand, Lance needs help first." Lotor almost commanded Keith, making him feel a little self-conscious. 

"Shiro didn't get hurt." Lance mumbled, starting to fade out of consciousness. He could barely keep his eyes open; he was tired and needed to rest, but the others kept telling him to stay awake. 

"I reckon I'll be able to carry him better than you can. We'll get him back and then send someone off to check on Shiro. Maybe not alone though, just in case it happens again." Lotor instructed. Keith nodded, his breathing rapid as he feared for Lance's life. On the count of three, Keith helped Lotor pick up Lance, cradling the injured paladin in his arms. The two rushed back to where the healing pods were, hoping someone else would be there to help them. Keith wasn't aware of the blood that now stained his clothes and his hands. 

Lotor almost tried to kick down the door as they arrived, making a huge scene for the people currently waiting. At the sight of a limp body in Lotor's arms, everyone rushed up to help. Keith looked down at his clothes and his hands, his head feeling all fuzzy as he remembered that the blood was Lance's. His precious Lance had been brutally injured by some he thought was his best friend. 

"Pidge, Hunk and Matt, Shiro is still in the training room, supposedly out cold. Go and get him, but please be careful." Lotor spoke as he helped Allura and Coran ease Lance into the healing pods. 

"What happened to him?!" Allura worried, turning to Keith and Lotor, who were both stained with considerable amounts of blood. 

"Shiro went crazy and attacked Lance, that's what he told us. There's blood everywhere, I'm so sorry." Keith felt like he too could pass out, the stress and worry mixing together to form a terrible cocktail of emotions. 

"You two go get cleaned up. Coran, go check the castle for any more blood and clean it up. I'll stay here with Lance and see what happens. These injuries are probably some of the worst I've seen, close to Hunk's." The words that came from Allura's mouth sent a sharp pain through Keith's chest.

He promised Lance he would keep fighting for him. Would Lance fight to stay alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was strangely long. i love writing angst :')


	4. Shiro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rescue mission is sent out for Shiro, and problems occur with Lance back at the castle.

Shiro blinked his eyes open, the white of the room blinding him. Everything was still fuzzy around him, sending him into a confused state. What had just happened? All he remembered was seeing red, blue and white before completely passing out. Except now the blue was gone, leaving only red and white surround him. He managed to sit himself up slightly, rubbing his head as he tried to figure out what happened. How long had been sat there alone? Did the others know?

Rapid footsteps broke the silence around him, giving him some sort of hope as to getting some sort of help. His vision was finally starting to clear up and the first thing that caught his eye was the heavily blooded sword laying next to him. Now he was worried. He remembered Lance was with him here before, but now he wasn't. Was this his own blood, or Lance's? Had he attacked Lance, or vise versa?

"Holy shit," Pidge breathed as she saw the scene around Shiro. Hunk and Matt rushed over to Shiro's side, helping him get to his feet. They kept a tight grip on his arms though, not wanting anything to happen to anyone else, just in case. "This is crazy."

"What happened?" Shiro murmured, his words slurred, still waking up from his fall. Hunk and Matt both raised a brow at their so-called teammate, wondering what he was on about. Why was Shiro on the floor too? Did Lance take a swing at him and manage to get him down before the worst came to worst?

"You attacked Lance? Do you not remember? It'll be lucky if he survives this." Hunk commented, pointing around the floor, explaining the random patches of blood and the sword lying next to Shiro. Thank God Matt and Hunk were there, as Shiro almost passed out from that tiny bit of information.

"I attacked Lance?" Shiro breathed, feeling a heavy pressure on his chest, the guilt seeping through his very veins. Pidge nodded, picking up the sword next to Shiro. She scowled at it before lobbing it to the side, disgusted to see the damn thing. 

"I don't think Allura would want us to take him back where they are, what do we do?" Hunk asked, earning a shrug from both Holt siblings. They all shared a collective sigh, before agreeing to take him back to his room. 

-

Krolia watched as her son stared up at Lance in the pod, the injury still very obvious. It had been at least a week now. The blood had stained the beige medical suit that injured persons were changed into for the cryopods, proving just how bad this injury really was. Not for one second did Keith look away from Lance, even when his mother called his name. 

"You can't stay here until he comes out, Keith. It could be ages yet, he could never come out at all." Krolia had to admit the hard truth to her son, knowing it was the last thing he wanted to hear.

"He'll come out. Hunk did, so why won't he?" Keith snapped, finally looking towards his mother. It was a possibility that Lance wouldn't come out; the two paladins injuries were both so different from each other, even if they were on the same severity level. 

"You need to understand that even though they were both injured severely, the injuries they received were both majorly different." Krolia tried to explain to Keith, only to get a scoff as a reply. Keith was having absolutely none of it. Lance was going to be okay and that was final for him. No excuses. 

Krolia left the two alone, walking off to find someone else to pester. Soon enough she stumbled across Lotor, who was talking to the three who had taken Shiro back to his room. She wanted to know what was going on and what was going to happen. 

"I believe Shiro is still alive. This... clone of him, he must stay away from us. He's dangerous." Lotor exhaled, his arms crossed over his chest. The three others all shared glances, silently agreeing with Lotor. The Galra was right; Shiro was now a danger to the team. Anything they said or did in front of him could give massive bits of information away. 

"How do we find him then? Where are the most precious prisoners kept?" Matt asked, knowing that they would keep Shiro somewhere difficult to find and even harder to access. After all, Shiro was the champion. They would probably use him to fight some more, get some entertainment out of him. That was when it hit Matt. "The arena! We have to check their first!"

"You may have a point; the Galra loved their champion," Krolia added in, sauntering up to the small group. She surprised them a little, but she had seen Shiro fight before in the arena; the crowd simply couldn't get enough of him. He'd be even more powerful now. The show would be even better than before. 

"The area is heavily guarded though; I should know, I used to go there all the time. It would take the whole of Voltron and more to get in there. Considering we are two paladins down, it may not work. I may have an idea though." Lotor raised his brow, stroking his chin as he thought. As a child, Lotor visited the arena a lot, watching prisoner after prisoner fight for their life. 

"Yes?" Krolia took a step closer to Lotor, wondering what he was up to. 

"Just before the arena, there was a room full of spare armor for the guards, since it got broken so much. You and I could easily sneak in there, change our outfits and patrol around as guards. We could get in totally undetected and possibly find Shiro in the process. If we find him, they won't question us if we get him out his cell. We just have to be quick about it." Lotor's plan shocked everyone, but it seemed like a very logical idea. All five of them were on board with this plan. They just weren't going to tell anyone else what they were up to.

"We could use the green lion! the cloaking ability will let us get close enough and remain undetected. I'm sure green wouldn't mind taking a few extra people." Pidge grinned, hopping from foot to foot in excitement. Hunk and Matt both chuckled at her actions. It was set; the five of them were on a mission to rescue the real Shiro. 

-

With all five of the finally aboard the green lion, they rushed off into space. Lotor helped Pidge get the correct coordinates to travel too. It was going to be a long journey, but they needed to find Shiro fast. For all they knew, he was already dead but there was still a small possibility he could be alive and well. Green growled at the presence of Galra on her ship; thankfully only Pidge could hear what her lion had to say about this situation. 

Hours later, they saw the ship they needed slowly coming into view. Pidge activated the cloaking device on her lion, making them undetectable to the trained eye and even from ship radars. She sped up a little, getting as close as she could so Krolia and Lotor could easily get inside without any problems arising. The two Galra exited the lion through the exit hatch, using their jetpacks to push themselves towards the ship. A loose vent on the outside of the ship provided perfect passage on, allowing them to get inside without getting spotted. The vent was small and dark, but it didn't faze the two at all. All they had hammered into their mind was finding Shiro and getting him out of there. That is, if he was on the ship in the first place. 

They eventually reached the place they needed, prying open yet another vent to drop down into the armor room. Thankfully, no guards were currently in there. it may be only a matter of time before there was though, so they had to rush to get into some armor. Luck was on their side this time around, as they had only just changed when a guard walked in, grumbling to himself as he tried to hold his falling armor apart. The three made eye contact with each other, silence falling between them.

"They need to make us better armor, this crap keeps falling apart," The Galra soldier joked, showing the other two his damaged chest plate. "That guy really has a punch to him." 

"Haha, yeah. Well, see you later! Must go check on those damn prisoners!" Lotor spoke, his voice rushed. They soon darted out the room, thanking their lucky stars for being able to get away with such an encounter. Krolia honestly thought she was done for, thinking they'd already been discovered. The two sprinted down the halls, trying to locate exactly where all the prisoners were. They could only rescue Shiro if he was here, otherwise they would know if suddenly all their prisoners went missing. It was a difficult fact to accept, but it was the only way that would keep them out of serious danger. As they came across a hall littered with doors, they knew they had found the right place. The distant sound of a crowd cheering signalled to them that someone had probably just been killed; an innocent prisoner, full of life and hope. 

"You take the left, I'll take the right," Krolia's voice was hushed, even though they were alone. they didn't want to get caught now, not when they were so close. Lotor nodded at her, rushing off to the right side of doors. Small hatches near the top of the door provided a small glimpse of who was inside, waiting to be chosen to fight. Door after door, no luck on either side. "I got nothing, what about you?"

"Nothing. There must be more cells around here somewhere, I'm sure of it." Lotor growled, vexation dripping from his voice. Lotor took off down the hall again, Krolia following after him. Lotor would feel incredibly guilty if he didn't find Shiro here; he wouldn't know where else to look. 

More cells littered the dim lit hallways, giving the two a little more hope. Yet again, absolutely no sign of him. A larger cell down the end of the hall caught Lotor's eye; if the champion was going to be kept in cell, it would be the best one possible. It would still be dank and dark, it just had a little more room and a very uncomfortable bed. The curiosity got to Lotor and he slowly began to make his way towards it. For some reason, his heart was telling him this was it. Krolia noticed Lotor dragging himself towards the door, interest stealing her attention too. She too wanted to see who was being kept here as well, hoping to whoever that this was who they were looking for. 

Lotor slid open the latch on the small window at the top of the door, his eyes canning the room for any sign of life. There was someone sat on the bed at the end the room, head lowered and hands in his lap. A low, tired laugh sounded from the prisoner as he glanced up at the open hatch.

"Come to gawk at the champion?" The voice was rough and emotionless. Lotor's heart raced in his chest; he couldn't believe that he had done it. Just a few months ago, Lotor would have done anything to get Shiro in a cell. Now here he was, breaking him out to return him to Voltron. Shiro would never believe that two galra, one that one tried to kill him and the other climbing to be Keith's mother, would be here rescuing his sorry ass. 

"Actually," Lotor grinned to himself, pressing his hand against the lock by the door, watching as it hissed open. "Quite the opposite." 

Shiro looked up at the two, his hair longer than what Lotor remembered. His hair was almost identical to Keith's now, except for the bright white strip at the front. The paladin looked completely battered and torn, even worse than when he was in Voltron. Krolia and Lotor removed their helmets, revealing who they were to Shiro. At the sight of Lotor, Shiro stood up, shocked and ready to fight back if needed. 

"Lotor?! What are you doing here?" Shiro growled, holding his arms up in front of him. Shiro glanced at the female Galra behind Lotor, now slightly confused. "Who's this?"

"I'm Krolia. Keith's mother." Her confession made Shiro drop his guard, his eyes widening at them both. His composure was now a lot softer, realizing that they may not be here to kill him. 

"Pidge, Hunk, and Matt are all waiting in the green lion, so we must hurry!" Lotor glanced behind him, hearing voices and footsteps approaching. Shiro nodded, leaving questions to later. The two galra put their helmets on, pretending to be escorting Shiro somewhere as the other patrol of guards rounded the corner. The three hurried along past the other guards, wanting to get out as soon as they could. They needed to get back to the guard room to change back into their normal clothes. That is when things would begin to get difficult. they managed to get there without a hitch, swiftly closing and locking the door behind them. Shiro knew better than to ask questions in such a stressful and rushed time, but he was dying to know so much about his team and what had been going on. Soon enough, the two galra rescuers had returned into their own clothes, only to be walked in on by two other guards. The three of them all looked at each other, before bolting at the door, knocking the surprised galra guards to the floor. 

It was life and death now; their cover had been blown and alarms were beginning to blare through the ship, alerting all of what had happened. Pidge had signalled to Lotor that they were now waiting out the back of the ship hanger, making an easier escape for them all. Krolia groaned, momentarily glancing over her shoulder, watching as the guards were slowly catching up to them. 

"You two carry on, I'll be out in a second!" Krolia stopped running, waving her hand for the others to get out of there and save themselves. They obeyed thankfully,  but she knew what she was doing was dangerous and could potentially get her killed. She charged back at the guards, revealing the dagger she had at her side. Before she left, she had sneakily taken the blade from Keith, knowing that she would probably need to use it at least once. The dagger glowed as it turned into a large sword. Krolia let out a yell as she began to fight back against the soldiers. 

As expected, the green lion was there waiting for them when they arrived. Lotor helped Shiro get in before any harm could be done to him. He turned back, hoping to see Krolia. Pidge was yelling at him to hurry up and get on the damn lion, but he wasn't going to leave her to die. Just as he was about to give up and give in to Pidge's yells, Krolia rounded the corner, the sword now returned to it's smaller dagger-size. She had he hand rested across he stomach but was managing to run back okay, so Lotor brushed it off. They needed to leave and now. After the last two had boarded the lion, Pidge put green in full speed as they flew off from the ship. 

-

Allura tapped her foot impatiently, wondering where on earth two of her paladins, Matt, Lotor and Krolia had gone off to. Not only that, the green lion was missing too. She waited in the hanger for their return, arms crossed over her chest. How dare they leave without letting her know about their plans. They could get themselves killed out there! The green lion let out a roar as it approached the ship, alerting Allura of their arrival. Her gaze was strong as she watched it land, ready to scold the lot for doing such a reckless thing. 

First Pidge jumped out, Hunk and Matt following behind. Lotor and Krolia came out, cheeky grins slapped on their faces. Allura wondered why they had such cheeky looks about them until Shiro stepped out of the lion. His scruffy state shocked the altean princess, but goodness, was she happy to see him alive!

"You... You...."

"We found Shiro, yes. Now we just need to decide what to do with... Well, you know." Lotor smirked, proud of his work. Shiro gave the princess a warm smile, making his way over to her. 

"It's good to be back. Now, can I ask my questions?" Shiro asked, glancing around at the group gathered around him. They all shared a brief laugh, before Allura placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get you cleaned up and sorted out first. Keith is going to be over the moon!" Allura squealed, swiftly leading the paladin away to get him all cleaned up and smart-looking again. Pidge, Matt, and Hunk all followed behind, overjoyed to have Shiro back in their hands.

Lotor turned to Krolia, who was sat on the green lions paw, holding her stomach again. He frowned, making his way over to her. She seemed to be in pain. Lotor knelt down in front of her, gently taking hold of her hand and removing it from where she had it. It revealed a small gash, nothing that seemed too serious. However, she looked to be in serious pain. 

"What happened?" Lotor asked, brow raised and voice soft, convincing her to spill. She let out a long sigh, placing her hand back against the small wound.

"One of the soldiers managed to nick me with his sword, no big deal. I'll be fine, it's nothing bad." She admitted, forcing a weak smile at the male knelt down in front of her. Lotor wasn't too believing of her, wanting to keep a close eye on her. The wound sure wasn't anything massive but the amount of pain she was in seemed to be telling a different story. Time would only tell. 

-

Keith had nearly fallen asleep on the couches near the pod, waiting for Lance to out. He had barely slept the last few days over how worried he was over Lance. All he wanted to do was hug him and kiss him and hold him close- in fact, that reminded him. He and Lance never really talked about properly being together; what were they? Friends? Boyfriends? Friends with benefits? He had so much to ask and tell Lance when he finally came out. 

The door hissed open behind him, waking him from his light sleep. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, stretching his arms up as he rose. When the bright light of the castle had finally dimmed down, he saw who was standing at the door. It was Lotor, a large smile spread across his cheeks. Keith wondered what this galra was up to. With a look like that on his face, surely it was something bad. 

"Keith, I have someone you may want to say hello to." Lotor spoke, stepping to the side to reveal a still somewhat scruffy looking Shiro. Keith raised a brow and looked from Shiro to Lotor. It was obviously some sort of dumb prank. How could he bring Shiro to he him after what he did to Lance?

"Are you serious?" Keith scoffed, brushing his fringe from his eyes. Shiro frowned, turning to Lotor for an explanation. "You're going to bring him here to me after that?" Keith pointed to Lance, who was still trapped in that damn cryopod. 

"Wait, why is Lance in a crypod?" Shiro asked, brows furrowing together. Lotor groaned, hiding his face in his hand. 

"You attacked him, do you not remember, you absolute skunk?" Keith laughed, shaking his head at how dumb Shiro was acting. Then it suddenly hit him; this was the REAL Shiro, not the one that attacked Lance. His hands raised up to his mouth as he got up from his seat, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with emotion. 

"I would never do that. Beside's, I've just been rescued from the galra, thanks to Lotor and your mother." Shiro rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a nervous laugh. Keith rushed over to greet the real Shiro, thankful he was alive and well. He practically jumped into Shiro's arms, feeling complete again. The older paladin placed him back on the ground after a few seconds, happy to see his best friend again. 

"My God, look at you!" Keith exclaimed, raising his hands to rest on Shiro's cheeks. Shiro scoffed and rolled his eyes, placing his hands over Keith's. "You look good like this, I must admit."

"All I've done is have a shower and put on some clean cloves. Allura is yet to cut my hair and all that jazz." Shiro removed Keith's hands from his face, holding them in his own. Keith suddenly looked panicked, shaking his head vigorously. 

"No! I like your hair, it suits you! I like this scruffy look, it makes you look more manly and..." Keith tried to think of some sort of insult towards Shiro's old look, but wasn't able to come up with one. Shiro let out a hearty laugh, looking down at his friend. 

"And less skunky? C'mon, do I really look that much like a skunk to you?" Shiro asked, letting go of one of Keith's hands to point at the white stripe in his hair. Keith nodded, grinning from ear to ear. Keith used his free hand to tuck Shiro's somewhat long hair back behind his ear, revealing more of his face. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Keith admitted, his tone soft and warm. This reunion with Shiro helped a lot, considering he currently had no one to confide in about Lance. A frown soon replaced the grin as Keith turned to face the cryopod Lance was in. 

Lotor decided to leave the two alone to have some time by themselves, to catch up on everything that had happened over the past year or so. Shiro sat down with a groan, flopping back into the comfy seat of the couch. Keith sat with a sigh, eyes still fixed on a lifeless looking Lance. It was going to be quite difficult to explain to Shiro what had happened over the past few months. 

"Where do I start; Maybe with why Lance is in here. You have a clone, we found that instead of you. Lance knew straight away that you were different, yet none of us took notice. Eventually, the clone confessed to Lance about it all. Then we all knew. Lance and the clone went to go train and your clone attacked him, slashing open his abdomen. It's real bad. Lotor is now on our side. He killed Zarkon-"

"Holy shit, Lotor killed Zarkon?!" Shiro interrupted Keith, almost choking on air at the thought of such a thing. Keith nodded, wanting to get on with his story. 

"Hunk ended up in there a few days ago when we had a nasty fight against the galra. Oh, Lotor is now emperor, so that is something. I now have a mother. We found Matt and his father. We helped a load of planets, all that jazz. That the real important stuff I guess." Keith shrugged, not knowing what else to say. Other than that, life had been pretty boring. 

"Wow, that is... a lot to take in," Shiro admitted, his brows furrowed together, arms crossed over his stomach as he tried to understand everything Keith just told him. "How long has Lance been in there now?"

"A while. I hope he is okay." Keith leant forward, clasping his hands together. Shiro pushed himself up, making his way over to the crypod. Just then, the neon blue disappeared, revealing a weak Lance. Shiro managed to catch him just in time, causing them both to stumble backwards. Keith rushed himself over, heart pounding in his chest. 

"Uh, I did nothing, I swear!" Shiro mentioned, still holding Lance in his arms. The weak paladin groaned slightly.

"Pick him up, you ass!" Keith shrieked, rushing over to the couch. Shiro picked Lance up bridal style, carrying him over to where Keith was. He placed him down gently, being careful. Lance groaned again, but he still seemed really weak. "Lance, wake up!"

"Keith, it's okay," Shiro placed a calming hand on Keith's shoulder, letting his friend know that everything would turn out fine. "He's tired, let him wake up a little." 

Keith frowned, glancing at the old bloodstain on the shirt Lance was wearing. To Shiro's surprise, Keith took no hesitation in lifting up Lance's shirt to look at the wound. Something must be wrong with the cryopod; the wound barely looked as if it has healed. At least, it looked better than before? Maybe the cryopod could only heal so much; the tissue around the wound looked better and it didn't look as deep as before, but it still wasn't fully healed. Perhaps this was something only they could heal. 

"Shiro, why hasn't it healed?" Keith clutched at Shiro's arm, staring down at the red and irritated skin of Lance's stomach. Not even Shiro could provide an answer to this mystery. Lance began to wake up a little more and went to move, letting out a yelp of pain as he did. "Lance, stay still, buddy. It's okay."

"Keith...?" Lance's voice was hoarse and weak, but he finally blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the brightness of the room around him. "Where am I?"

"You just came out of the cryopd. You'll be okay, but your wound hasn't healed correctly." Shiro explained, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder. 

"But you're the one who-"

"No, no. Lance, this is Shiro. The real one. I promise you with my life on that," Keith smiled, still worried over his lovers well being. Lance was strangely pale and seemed way too out of it. Keith looked up at Shiro, desperation in his eyes. "Please, go get Allura."

-

Allura rushed to get to Lance after Shiro explained what had happened. When she entered, she saw Keith and Lance together. Lance had a tight grip on Keith's hand, his face distorted in pain. Allura could see the wound hadn't healed enough; extended time in the pod may cause other issues though, so putting him back in wasn't an option. 

It was strange that this happened in the first place; Allura had never seen anything quite like it. However, Allura knew of something which may help. thousands of years ago, when her father was still around, he used this special altean healing cream for things which couldn't be healed using the pods. Perhaps there was still some somewhere in the castle. 

"It looks a lot better, but not well enough. He won't be able to do much as it continues to heal, but I have something that will help. At least I think I have something, I just have to locate some." Allura raised her brow, ghosting her fingers over the wound. Lance's grip tightened on Keith's hand as she did. 

"Calm down, it's okay. I got you." Keith reassured Lance, shooting a fond, warm smile his way. It helped Lance a little bit. Allura rushed off, leaving the three of them alone again. Shiro crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Keith and Lance interact; they had never been like this before. What had happened in the time that he was gone?

"Can I ask you two a question?" Shiro asked, not really giving them much choice in the matter anyways. "Are you two together? Like, all loved up?"

The other two looked at each other before Keith smiled and nodded. Shiro couldn't help but beam at them, happy for them both. They were cute together, even if they were practical opposites. They really made a great team when it came down to it.

"Hey, you should go see Black. She's been missing you I reckon. Hasn't been the same since you disappeared on us again." Keith's hint of a joke at the end caught Shiro off guard. Thing's really had changed. 

-

The paladin stood below his lion, staring up at the gigantic beast. It felt right to be here again. He could still feel the strong bond he had with his lion running through his veins. It wasn't long before Black woke up, bending down to reach Shiro. She could tell straight away that this was her Shiro, the one she had been after all along. The original pilot. The one she trusted more than anything. Shiro placed a gentle hand on the metallic nose of his lion, feeling somewhat emotional over the matter. 

"Hello, did you miss me?" he asked, earning a purr in response. He laughed to himself, watching as she stood back up straight again. At least nothing had changed with his lion. "I missed you too." 

As he turned to walk out, Matt appeared out of nowhere, grin slapped on his face. The other couldn't help but grin back, seeing one of his closest friends alive and well.

"Well, if it isn't Takashi." Matt beamed, leaning against the Black lion's paw. Shiro groaned, remembering how much Matt used to pester him with that name. He much preferred Shiro, but Matt never chose to use it. 

"Don't call me that, it's Shiro. You know that." Shiro sighed out, feeling good to be back again.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm glad you're back. We all missed you. Seriously." Matt gave a little punch to Shiro's arm, just joking around. The punch Shiro returned was a lot harder, knocking Matt onto the ground. Matt scowled up at Shiro, rubbing his arm. Shiro let himself laugh, staring at Matt on the ground. 

"That's what you get for calling me Takashi, asshole."

-

Krolia was sat by herself, hand still over her wound. The pain grew more and more, she was worried that something may be wrong. It wasn't a major injury, nor did it bleed a lot. It was more of a scratch than anything serious. Was it meant to feel like this? Surely the pain should have stopped by now.

She examined the wound, seeing if there was a possibility something was lodged in it, or perhaps there was something irritating it. She thought back to when she used to fight, trying to remember what she had been told in training many years back. 

They had always warned about fighting against certain ranks of Galra soldiers and guards, as some could be a lot more dangerous than others, but not purely just because of skill. She wracked her thoughts and memories, knowing that this would probably help her figure out what was wrong. A searing pain shot through her stomach, causing her to cry out and hunch over. It felt as if her wound was on fire, as if she were to touch it and get a serious burn. It throbbed too, making it ten times as uncomfortable. 

It was then she realized what was causing her so much pain, and there was nothing she could do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, what do you think has happened to krolia? give me your answers!


	5. Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krolia gets even worse and Keith gains a new mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all better be ready for the end of this damn chapter lmao

Krolia sat by herself, wondering how she was going to break the news to everyone. They wouldn't take it well, especially Keith. He would be heartbroken. Perhaps she could get away with not telling everyone a little bit longer. 

"I was hoping to find you somewhere." Lotor's voice startled Krolia, a sharp pain shooting through her abdomen where the wound was. She tried to play it off, but he could see the pain etched into her face.

"Why?" She asked, proceeding to stand from where she sat. 

"No, don't stand. Please, I can see you're in pain. Krolia, I know you're hiding something from us and I believe I know what it is." Lotor mentioned, signaling with his hands for Krolia to retake her seat. She did so with a sigh, knowing that Lotor had probably been told what she had been told many times before.

"I just... Don't want anyone to fuss over me. There is nothing that can be done anymore. Keith would be heartbroken if he found out what was happening." Krolia seemed to be in much pain, Lotor could tell by the strain of her voice. Not just physical pain, but emotional pain too. She wouldn't be able to bear seeing her son breakdown over her. He had already been through so much, this was the last thing he needed on his plate.

"You are true, there is nothing that can be done. Even the strongest of galra have bowed to this deadly mixture. I am so sorry Krolia, I can't imagine what pain you must be in." Lotor sat down next to her, his brows furrowed together as he glanced at her wound. 

"I was always warned about it when I was being trained to fight; I always feared that it may happen to me. The others must be warned of this danger, they have no idea it exists." Krolia worried for everyone's safety; especially Keith. She didn't want him to suffer the same fate she was about to suffer through. Knowing how hot-headed he could be, he was probably in the most dangerous. He fights without thinking, like a mad dog. 

"I will let them know. For now, you need to rest. The pain is only going to get worse." Lotor rested a hand on her shoulder, trying his best to comfort her. Never having done this before, he wondered if his words and actions were enough.

-

Shiro and Keith had managed to move Lance back to his room, away from prying eyes. It wasn't a comfortable or favorable journey, Lance trying not to cry out every few steps made Keith's heart shatter. It was now just the three of them waiting in Lance's room, hoping Allura would be able to find this altean remedy somewhere. 

"I don't know why I feel so guilty this happened," Shiro broke the silence, letting out a long sigh as he looked over at Lance. "I know that it wasn't me who did it, but it also was me."

"Hey, it isn't your fault," Lance laughed, squinting at the slight pain it caused him. "It was your freaky twin."

"How can you manage to be in such pain and still crack a joke?" Keith added it, a fond smile slapped across his face. Both Shiro and Lance shared a short laugh, lightening the mood in the room a little. 

A soft knock on the door alerted the all of Allura's arrival. The door hissed open seconds later, revealing the princess and the pot she was holding. Keith stood from where he was sat, rushing over to meet her. All he wanted was for Lance to be better again. He would do anything it takes. 

"Is that it?!" Keith wondered, surprising Allura with his sudden question. 

"Yes, but there isn't much left, I'm afraid. It will certainly help close the wound a lot more, but won't be able to heal it completely. Your body will have to do the last of it by itself." Allura told them, opening the small white jar in her hand, revealing a weird pinkish gel. She looked at the others, waiting for someone to say something about how it looked.

"Well, it... looks like it will work?" Shiro questioned, glancing between the other three in the room. Keith and Lance nodded in agreement, before Keith practically snatched the pot from Allura's hands. 

"Will it hurt?" Lance asked, looking over at Allura, worry written all over his expression. She nodded, dropping her hands to her side. Lance looked back at Keith, who was now sat on the edge of Lance's bed, ready to apply the weird gel when he was ready. 

"I promise you, I will be as gentle as possible." Keith's soothing words and tone gave Lance the last bit of confidence he needed. Lance took a deep breath as Keith scooped out the last bit of the altean gel, gently placing the cream on Lance's open wound. The injured paladin managed not to make a noise as Keith thoroughly applied the cream, hoping that the ordeal would soon be over. 

-

"Matt, not fair!" Pidge whined, jumping as high as she could to try to reach the memory stick Matt was holding away from her. He faked yawned, holding in his amusement at his sister being so short. 

"I don't get it Pidge, what's the problem?" Matt asked, sarcasm practically dripping from his tone. Pidge groaned, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared up at her brother. An idea suddenly popped into Pidge's head, a cheeky smirk soon taking over the frown. Matt raised a brow, wondering what she had thought of now. It all happened so fast, but soon Matt was on the floor, clutching at his leg. With one swift kick to the shin, Pidge had taken Matt down. 

"Ha!" She yelled, grabbing the piece of tech up off the floor from where Matt had dropped it. She skipped back over to her desk, plopping down on the chair as she plugged in the memory stick, watching as the little computer lit up. "Woah, look at all this!"

"What is it?" Matt asked, still completely sprawled out on the cool floor. Pidge shrugged, scrolling through whatever she had found. Matt pushed himself up with a groan, dusting off his clothes before leaning down next to Pidge. "Wait, I think I know what this is!"

"Really?" She asked, pushing her glasses up her nose a little more. "What is it?" 

"It looks to be some sort of altean programme, perhaps used in something like an altean school." Matt looked closer at the computer, trying to figure out exactly what it was. 

"So I found this super mysterious, super awesome altean memory stick that just contains school stuff? That's just peachy." Pidge huffed, slumping back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest. Matt chuckled at her, standing back up straight. 

"It's still pretty neat. It shows us how alteans taught the younger ones and what was important to them," Matt commented, proving a point to his sibling. Pidge shrugged, still not overly happy with what she found. "Hey, do you know whether Lance is out the cryopod yet?"

"I think he is, I heard Allura talking to herself earlier about finding some sort of cream for him? Apparently, his wound didn't heal correctly or something. It's a lot better than it was before, but it's still pretty bad," Pidge sighed, not really interested about Lance right now. As much as he was her friend, he needed his rest and she didn't want to bother him. "Anyways, why the sudden interest in lover boy?" 

"It's nothing, don't worry." Matt brushed it off, not wanting to let Pidge know about what had happened between them a few weeks back. 

"Oh my God, you totally have a crush on Lance!" Pidge screamed, getting so over excited about it that she slipped and fell from her chair. She scrambled to her feet soon after, staring at her brother in amazement. "Oh no, you have a crush on Lance."

"I don't!" Matt snapped, getting irritated by her pestering already. Sadly she was right though, he had a fat crush on Lance. The only problem was that Lance liked Keith, a lot. There was nothing he could do about it. "We just..."

"You just...? What, Matt, what did you and him- Holy mother of God, you did not do what I think you did, right?" Pidge asked, placing her hand over her chest, being overly dramatic with her action. Matt scowled at her, only earning a reaction of an eye roll from her. 

"We kissed, okay? Before Keith came back, we kissed. I don't know what got into us, it just happened. It was a stupid mistake, nothing more. Besides, Lance likes Keith. They're practically perfect for each other, I have no chance." Matt admitted, sitting himself down in the chair, only to be pushed out seconds later by Pidge, slamming against the floor yet again.

"You're right, you have no chance and they are perfect for each other. Who cares about love and relationships, Matt? You're in space, goddammit! Enjoy it whilst it lasts." Pidge moaned, not understanding the hype over being with someone. She was still young and didn't understand what it was like to want to have that someone there for you.

"Pidge, you're like 6, shut up. You have no clue what it's like to want to be with someone." Matt rubbed his back as he stood up from the floor, staring at his younger sibling. Pidge scoffed, turning to him. 

"Yes Matt, you are right. I don't ever want to be with anyone, I like my own comfort and being by myself with all my nerd stuff, okay?" A pissed off Pidge was never a good Pidge. 

"I'm sorry Pidge, I just don't feel the best right now. Sorry for snapping. I'll leave you to it." Matt sighed, crossing his arms over his stomach as he left Pidge to be by herself. She said nothing as he walked out, leaving her be. 

-

Keith walked around the castle, letting Lance rest whilst his wound healed some more. He didn't want to be there for every second of his healing time, he knew Lance would eventually get sick of him sticking around. He scratched the side of his face, hoping to stumble across someone else soon.

The halls were weirdly silent when Lance wasn't running around the screaming about the castle being haunted. After all that time, he still believed the castle was haunted. It wasn't but despite Allura telling him this over and over, he refused to believe it. Yes, spirits did exist, but there were none in the castle. 

"Hey, Keith!" Shiro called out his friends name, catching his attention. Keith turned to face Shiro, a smile spreading on his face at the sight of his friend. It felt right knowing this was the real Shiro he was talking with, not some daft clone. Shiro jogged up to his friend, before stopping dead in his tracks. "Woah, Keith."

"What?" Keith asked, brow raised in confusion. Was there something on his face? Was his hair fucked up? Shiro stared at him like there was something seriously wrong with him. 

"Come here a second." Shiro signalled for Keith to take a step closer; he took a step back instead. 

"No, you'll hit me," Keith joked, a cheeky grin on his face. Shiro let out a breathy laugh before walking over to Keith, grabbing his chin in his hand. The sudden contact shocked Keith. What was Shiro going to do? Shiro tilted Keith's head to the side, furrowing his brows as he stared at the mark on Keith's cheek. "Uh, Shiro? What are you doing?"

"What are these marks on your cheek?" Shiro asked, letting Keith go. Keith took a step back and raised a hand up to his cheek, as if he would be able to see it or feel it that way. 

"What marks?" Keith asked, wondering if Shiro was feeling okay. There was no mark on his cheek; or so he thought. Shiro groaned and grabbed Keith's arm, dragging him off to a brighter area. They entered the main hall where Allura, Lotor, and Coran were all chatting. The sudden entrance of the two caught them off-guard, but the mark on Keith's cheek caught them off-guard even more. 

All three of them rushed over to see what was happening, all fussing over Keith. He still had absolutely no clue as to what was going on or what was wrong with his face. 

"Wait, I think I know what this is!" Coran spoke up, holding his finger up to make his point. Keith rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, just waiting to hear what this crazy altean had to say. "I believe it is galra markings."

"What?!" Keith shrieked, covering his cheek with his hand. Allura and Coran laughed, watching Keith overreact to this simple news. It wasn't exactly simple news to him though. 

"Yes, they look exactly like Krolia's!" Allura commented, grabbing Keith's hand to remove it from his face. Keith wanted to hide away; he hated all this fuss and attention, unless it was from Lance. Thinking of Lance, how would he react to such a mark now?

"You mean, I have my mother's marking? How could that happen? I never had them before!" All of this was still such a shock to Keith, so him snapping at everyone wasn't going to go unnoticed. 

"Did you touch your face after applying that gel to Lance?" Allura asked, suddenly remembering one of the ingredients in the gel. Keith nodded and it suddenly all made sense. "The gel had a small dose of quintessence in it. It must have brought out your galra side a little. I don't expect it will fade though. I'm surprised it didn't make your hands turn purple."

"Perhaps he only has the markings of his mother, not the skin colour?" Lotor mentioned, everyone suddenly 'ah'-ing in realization. Keith groaned, not really wanting this mark on his face. As much as it connected him more to his mother, he just wanted to look human. 

"Hey, now we match. We both have marks given to us by the galra!" Shiro joked, trying to make light of the scar on his nose. The joke didn't bide well with Keith. 

"We don't match- I got mine because I am galra. You got yours because of the galra being assholes to you." Keith spat, taking in everyone's shocked reactions before storming out, wanting to be alone by himself. 

They all watched as he left, a slight feeling of guiltiness waving over everyone. They hadn't meant to upset him- was he still not over the fact that he was part galra? Shiro turned to go after him, only to be stopped by Allura grabbing his arm. He knew what she meant by her gesture, knowing to leave Keith be for a while. All of a sudden, Lotor broke the silence.

"I have something to tell you all. It's about Krolia."

-

Lance felt a lot better now. That altean gel stuff really seemed to work fast. After all, it had alien properties to it. Who knows what was in that stuff. He wasn't a big fan of being confined to his room all day, so decided to take a wander around the castle to see who he could bother with his jokes. 

He had his blue nightgown draped around his shoulders as he walked, heading towards the main hall. There was always bound to be someone in there to annoy. Maybe he could ask Coran some more stuff about altean history. That was always super interesting. He liked hearing about the paladins of old, learning how they were the first to ever sit in those lions and control them. He liked learning of how the races got on before all the galra drama went down. Aliens had no laws on who you could marry, it could be any guy, any girl, any race. That was until the drama went down. 

"Can you believe this shit." Keith grumbled to himself, his hand hiding his cheek away, despite no one being around. He wasn't aware that Lance was walking towards him until Keith smacked straight into him. 

"I'm stood here, waiting for you to notice me, but instead you just walk straight into me? Thanks, Keith." Lance joked, resting his hands on Keith's shoulders. Keith's pissed off demeanor disappeared when he realised Lance was out of bed and walking around. 

"What are you doing out of bed, you idiot? You're going to hurt yourself again!" Keith complained, grabbing Lance's wrist with his free hand as he began to drag him off back to his room. Lance tugged back at Keith's pulling, resulting in Keith almost smacking into Lance again. He managed to catch Keith, arm wrapped around his waist to keep him close. Keith seemed really panicked- Lance could tell by the look in his eyes. 

"Why are you covering your cheek? Did you get hurt?" Lance asked, hoping Keith was okay. Keith tried to pull out of Lance's grip, unfortunately not being able to escape. Lance's grip on his waist was tight. 

"Uh, yeah. It's nothing though, don't worry." Keith lied, once again trying to escape out of Lance's arms. However, Lance wasn't having it. He knew something was up.

"Keith, show me your cheek," Lance demanded, getting no response from Keith. "Fine. I didn't want to have to do this, but you've forced my hand." 

Keith was confused as to what Lance meant, until the cheeky smirk replaced the serious look on his face. He tried his best to run from lover boy, only to be caught by the waist. Lance began to tickle Keith, barely letting him have a reak to be able to catch his breath. He was staying strong though, his hand still firmly placed on his cheek. Lance's plan wasn't working. Keith was facing away from Lance from where he had tried to make a runner, so Lance had yet another idea which was sure to work. 

In one swift montion, Lance had pulled Keith flush against his chest, arms snaked back around his lover's waist. It shocked Keith, as Lance had never acted this way before. What had gotten into him? Within seconds, Lance had his lips against the back of Keith's neck, leaving long, lingering kisses against his cool skin. Now Keith was beginning to lose it, and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up this act. Lance's kisses travelled from the nape of Keith's neck all the way to his shoulder, each one warm and teasing. It wasn't long before Keith had completely dropped his hand, revealing the purple mark on Keith's cheek. At the sign of Keith's hand moving, Lance stopped what he was doing, spinning Keith around to face so he could see the mark better.

"Do you hate it?" Keith asked, lowering his head to try and avoid Lance's gaze. Lance smiled fondly, resting a finger under Keith's chin to make him look at him again. 

"It suits you. You look really lovely." Lance commented, ghosting his fingers over the new mark on Keith's skin. Keith couldn't help but lean into Lance's warm touch. 

"Shut up, you sap."

-

Shiro felt good to be back in the training room. Even after what had happened to Lance and even knowing that he didn't do it, he still felt incredibly guilty. Whoever had been hereto clean up hadn't done a swell job; Lance's dried blood was still splattered in some places. 

Before he could even start, Hunk appeared out of nowhere. Shiro hadn't had any actual time to spend time with the yellow paladin and hoped this would be a good time to catch up with him. He had heard how he had ended up being in the cryopod for a while after a bad fight. 

"Hey, long time no see." Shiro grinned, placing his towel down as he made his way over to Hunk. Usually, Shiro wasn't a forgetful person. He did forget though that Hunk was an extremely huggy person at times. Before Hunk even said anything to Shiro, he gave him a big hug. It took the paladin by surprise, but he hugged his teammate back almost straight away. 

"If you ever disappear again, we will kill you." hunk joked, releasing Shiro from the death-grip of a hug. Shiro laughed at this, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wasn't exactly my fault last time. Remember, we were in the midst of an awful battle. Even I can't really remember how it happened. It all happened so fast." A shrug of the shoulders brushed off that topic, starting a new one. 

"Pidge told me that apparently Matt and Lance kissed when Keith was gone." Hunk announced, sitting himself down on one of the benches. 

"I knew he had done something, he just wouldn't tell me what. I'm glad Keith and Lance are a thing now though. I always knew something would happen between them." Shiro grinned, preparing to get into his paladin suit for the first time in forever. It would feel good to be back in the suit again. It would feel natural. 

"I think Keith's mum likes Lance. Like, a lot!" Hunk chuckled, trying to explain how big he meant by gesturing with his hands. Shiro nodded, before recalling earlier when Lotor had told them about Krolia's condition. 

"She does. She's sad she won't be around much longer though. She has to leave at some point, but Keith must stay here." The hint was subtle, yet Hunk didn't get it. 

"Is she okay? Why does she have to leave? Is she sick?" Hunk threw all these questions towards Shiro, suddenly super curious about Keith's mother and her condition. 

"She's just in a somewhat delicate state right now." Shiro explained, Hunk suddenly lighting up. That wasn't good news, so why did Hunk suddenly get so happy?

"Wait, is she having a baby? Ooh, is Keith going to have a baby brother? Is he going to be a-"

"She's dying, Hunk."

Silence. The whole mood of the room dropped completely at the words. Hunk suddenly felt incredibly stupid and guilty, not knowing what to say to make things better. Now he had all these other questions. Why was she dying? Was she old? Was she sick? Was she hurt? Did Keith know? 

"Does Keith know?" He asked in a low voice, head hung as he spoke. 

"No, so please don't let him know. We only need to tell him when she get's really bad. She's coping for now. We don't know how long she has left." Shiro mumbled, beginning to put on the rest of the paladin armor again. 

"Can't the cryopod help her?" Hunk asked, wanting to know if there was any way to save Krolia. 

"No. She was hit when breaking me out. The solider that hit her must have coated his blade with this galra poison that Lotor told me about. There is nothing that can cure it. No antidote, no healing pods, no treatments. Even the toughest of the tough haven't escaped this one."

"Maybe she will. Maybe she'll be able to fight against it!" Hunk's optimism was admirable, but useless in a situation like this. Shiro simply shook his head, silently telling Hunk that enough was enough. There was no way Krolia was able to be saved now, despite everyone's best efforts. 

-

Krolia was trying her best at this point, but the pain was agonizing. If only this could all end now, no one would know and Keith wouldn't find out. She wanted to cry out, call for help, but didn't want attention to be drawn to her pain. She would be fine, sooner or later, she kept telling herself. In the end, she knew she was going to die. Once the pain stopped, the fever kicks in, which kills within a matter of hours. 

It felt as if a burning knife had been plunged into her stomach and someone was just twisting it again and again, giving no mercy. If it ended all now, the pain would stop and she would be at rest. All she wanted to do was explain to Keith how sorry she was and how much she loved him. Keith would be angry and upset for sure, but she knew he would be okay. After all, he had Lance, Shiro, the whole team there for him.

Everything around her was blurry, a loud ringing noise echoed in her ears. At this moment in time, she had no idea whether she was crying out in pain or not, or whether she was still even alive. Nothing made sense. She didn't even notice when the room to her door opened, and when someone rushed to her side, shaking her and trying to get her into a more conscious state. 

Keith had only wanted to check on his mother, as he hadn't seen her since she went to fetch Shiro from the galra prisons. In the pit of his stomach, as he was walking to her room, he could tell that something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong and he just knew it, and on instinct his feet sped up, carrying him faster to his mother's room. he stood outside the door, shaking as he pressed the button to open it.

What he saw would never leave him. His mother practically unconscious on the floor, her face etched in pain, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. In a second he was by her side, shaking her vigorously to try and get her to wake up a little. What had happened to her for this to even happen? Why had no one told him that she was sick?! Adrenaline kicked in fast and before he knew it, Keith was yelling out for help.

"Someone, please help!" He bellowed, hot tears streaming down his cheeks, slowly dripping onto the floor next to his mother. Keith had never yelled so hard, and he hoped that someone in this damn castle would hear him. "Anyone, please!"

His yelling had attracted everyone to come and see what was wrong. Keith had never yelled in such a way before, so everyone knew that someone was wrong. Within mere seconds everyone had sprinted down to where Keith's yelling was coming from. No one moved when they saw the scene lying in front of them for a good few seconds. 

Keith was wailing at this point, trying to get his mother to respond to his desperate pleas. Eventually, Shiro managed to pry Keith away, despite his attempts at fighting back. No matter how hard he kicked, punched or screamed, Shiro wasn't letting go. It was only a matter of time before he gave up completely, his body relaxing completely as all his strength left him. All he could do was cry and wail, his sobs only being muffled by the fact he was crying into Shiro's shoulder. Shiro handed Keith over to Lance, knowing that being in his arms would be a better solution. Shiro went over to help Lotor, Coran and Allura get Krolia onto the bed, making sure that these next few hours were as calm and comfortable for her as possible. 

"Don't let her die, please don't let her die!" Keith begged, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping the fabric of Lance's dressing gown. Lance pulled Keith closer to his chest, gently rocking the distraught paladin in his arms, placing a gentle kiss on the top of his head before humming a simple, calming tune to him. "Please..."

Both Hunk and Pidge were crying too, not being able to handle the sight of Krolia dying and one of their best friends breaking down. Matt was there to help comfort Pidge, holding her close as she sobbed into his arm. Hunk stayed close to Matt and Pidge, but was more subtle in his crying. Every now and then he would wipe his tears away, trying not to get too upset.

"I don't want her to die, I don't want her to die..." Keith had stopped wailing, only due to the fact he screamed his throat raw. His voice was hoarse and rough as he spoke. He kept choking on his tears and his words as he spoke, having to cough every now and then to actually be able to speak a single word. Lance ran his hand up and down Keith's back, keeping him close so he wouldn't have to see the scene in front of him.

"Shhh, it's okay Keith. I got you, it's going to be okay." Lance had tried to keep his tears back for so long, but now couldn't stop them. A sniffle or two later and now Lance was full on sobbing, holding Keith as close as he could. They were one another's comfort at the moment, the only thing keeping each other sane. 

"I can't live without her, please, don't let her die..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i please ask you not to kill me just yet. i plan to have the next chapter out on sunday, for a special reason (mothers day, for all y'all who don't know) :)


	6. Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time comes for Krolia to pass and no one takes it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a fair warning this will not be a very happy chapter. it is very negative and towards the end involves mentions of suicide and self harm. so please be careful if any of that triggers you. i promise to make next chapter a little happier, or at least i'll try.

Keith never really got the chance to calm down after finding his mother in such a state. He was practically glued to Lance as they stayed by her side. These last few hours would be precious to them all, especially Keith. He had barely got the chance to know his mother and now, she was on her deathbed. Krolia was now at the fever stage; she was delirious and really had no clue as to what was going on around her. As much as she seemed conscious to everyone, it really wasn't that way.

"How long does she have left?" Keith hiccuped from where he was perched in Lance's lap, eyes puffy and cheeks red from where he had been crying. Lance soothingly rubbed circles into Keith's back, hoping that he didn't have another break down on the way.

"It's hard to say. It could be a few hours. It would be a few minutes. All I know is that she won't survive the rest of the day." Lotor replied, trying his best not to upset Keith even more. All Keith could do was nod and take in the information. 

"I'm so sorry that this happened, Keith." Shiro spoke low, his usual happy, encouraging tone completely gone. Keith appreciated the gesture and managed a quick smile before returning back to his depressed state. 

"I just can't believe this happened. She was fine. She promised to never leave me again..." Keith thought back to the very moment he met his mother, remembering how she promised to never leave him again. Now she was breaking that very promise. 

"We wanted to keep you mentally stable until this moment came," Shiro added in, the sentence flicking a switch in Keith's head. "I wish I had told you."

"You knew?" Uh oh, Shiro was in trouble now. "You knew my mother was dying and you kept it from me?! How could you?!" 

"Keith, it was for the best, I swear-"

"You swear that keeping the fact my mother was dying from me would be for the best? I never got to spend time with her before she became practically comatose! I never even got to tell her that I  _love_  her!" Keith screeched, rising from where he was sat in Lance's lap. 

"Keith, please, this isn't the time!" Shiro snapped back, standing up from where he had been sat. Shiro towered over Keith by a considerable amount, but that didn't stop the raging paladin from saying what he had to say. 

"What if this was your mother?! How would you feel if I knew she was dying and I hid it from you, huh?" Keith bellowed, using all his remaining strength to push Shiro back. He didn't stumble too far though, managing to keep his balance. No one had ever seen Shiro so pissed off and the same went for Keith. The two were practically at each other's throats; soon enough, someone would have to step in. 

"I never got to see my mother  _or_  father before they died, so be thankful that you are able to be here with her!" Shiro hollered, grabbing Keith by the collar of his shirt. Lotor was quick to rush to his feet and break the two apart, disgusted by their behavior at such a time.

"How dare you two act in such a childish manner?" Lotor glanced between the two, honestly embarrassed at such a thing. "Do neither of you care for Krolia?"

Shiro and Keith simply stared at each other, chests rising and falling at a quickened rate due to their outburst. None of them said a word as they returned to where they had been sat. However, Lance didn't let Keith sit back on his lap. He simply turned his gaze away, upset that Keith reacted in such a way. He understood that Keith was upset over his mother, but that was no way to react. 

"Lance..." Keith breathed, sitting down next to him, placing a gentle hand on his knee. Lance was quick to slap it away before pushing himself up and rushing out the room. It wasn't soon after that Hunk and Pidge followed after their friend, hoping they were going to be able to comfort him. Matt went to go after him too, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Shiro. 

"I think it's best if you don't," Shiro whispered to him, placing a hand on his shoulder before subtly nodding his head towards Keith, who was sulking in the corner by himself. Matt let out a sigh, understanding what Shiro meant. After seeing Keith and Lance have that moment, Matt believed he could have a chance with Lance alone again. "Come with me."

The two disappeared together, leaving just Keith, Coran, Lotor, and Allura alone with Krolia. Every second passing brought her closer to death. It wasn't easy and the atmosphere in the room was dark. It wasn't long before Allura and Coran left, knowing they had to leave to let Keith have some alone time. Lotor got up to leave as well, only to be stopped by Keith. 

"I don't want to be alone, can you please stay?" Keith asked, looking up at Lotor with pleading eyes. Keith never thought he would ask such a question to someone who used to be his mortal enemy. Lotor smiled sadly and nodded, sitting himself next to Keith, the two of them staring at Krolia.

"I'll stay as long as you need me to, don't worry," Lotor reassured Keith, placing an arm around his shoulders. "Everything will turn out okay in the end, believe me. This may be hard now, but time will heal you and you'll become even stronger than before."

"Stop sounding so sappy, it's weird considering you used to try and kill us constantly." Keith managed to joke, a slight smile replacing the solemn look on his face. Lotor also managed a chuckle at this, pulling Keith closer to him.

"Yes, it does sound weird. It is even weirder than I am now here comforting you when no one else will." Lotor added in, not meaning to sound so malicious towards the other paladins. Keith let out a long sigh at this, shaking his head slightly.

"They never used to comfort me anyway, so this is no different really." Keith shrugged, taking a short glance at his dying mother. It was eerie how still she was. 

"This team doesn't seem to be the best at that, really," Lotor commented, tucking his hair back behind his ear. "I don't reckon she has too long left now. You may want to consider really saying your goodbyes now."

Keith sharply inhaled at this, only just managing to convince himself to move over to his mother. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were shut, her whole body completely limp. The paladin kneeled down next to his mother's bed, taking her cold hand in his own, holding it with a tight grip. He was shaking, trying not to let the waterworks start up again. Lotor stayed sat where he was, letting Keith have this moment with his mother. He debated on leaving, but wasn't sure what Keith may do if he was left alone. 

"Hey mum," Keith's voice was shaky and unstable. He took a deep breath as he continued. "I'm not mad at you for leaving when I was younger. I understand now. This short time I've known you has been the best time of my life. I wish it didn't have to end this way. I hope you're proud of me, even though I was an ass at first. I will never, ever forget you, no matter what. I will fight for you, I promise. I love you, even after this short time. I really do."

Lotor was finding it hard not to let his emotions shine though- he had never cried in front of anyone before, and wasn't about to now. He could tell Keith was struggling, he could see his hands shaking. All he wanted to do was go over and hug Keith, but feared that he may be pushed away. 

"Thank you for saving Shiro for me. Thank you for accepting me as I am. Thank you for making me believe in myself." Keith continued on, sniffling harshly as tears started to make their way down his cheeks again. His bottom lip quivered as he lowered his head, resting his forehead against their conjoined hands. It absolutely broke Lotor's heart. It was only moments later when Krolia took her last breath, the poison finally shutting down her body and subsequently ending her life. The room was completely silent, except for Keith's muffled sobs echoing around. 

Lotor couldn't stand seeing Keith suffer alone like this and swiftly moved himself to kneel next to Keith. A gentle hand on Keith's back let him know that Lotor was there for him, ready to help when Keith was ready to leave his mother's side. 

"I don't want to leave..." Keith sobbed out, his grip still tight as he held on to his mother like his life depended on it. "I'm not ready."

"I know, we can leave when you feel ready to. I'm here Keith, I promise you." Lotor reassured Keith, letting him know that they would stay here as long as he needed the time. It was a few moments later that Keith finally let go of his mother's hand, watching as it flopped by her side, completely lifeless. To Lotor's surprise, the distraught paladin hugged him tight, silently thanking him for staying close to him in such a terrible time. Lotor had never really hugged anyone before, or been hugged for that matter, but it felt really nice to be in someone's arms like this. Lotor hugged back cautiously, not wanting to mess it up or do it wrong. 

"Thank you Lotor, it means so much to me," Keith mumbled, his arms wrapped securely around his galran friend. "Thank you."

-

Shiro found Lance at last. He wondered where he had gotten to after walking out on Keith. It was his fault really that Lance had reacted in such a way. He hadn't brought up that he knew about Keith's mother in front of him. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Shiro asked, watching as Lance defeated the last of his training victims, breathing heavily. He threw his bayard to the ground, the metal clunking echoing throughout the room. 

"Why did you have to bring that up?" Lance asked, tone bitter and harsh. It took Shiro back.

"I didn't mean to. I never meant to start a fight either. I reacted in a bad way, I will admit. I guess it was just the heat of the moment." Shiro replied, making his way over to Lance. He looked exhausted, perhaps from the training or the emotional stress he had been put through the past few hours. 

"It's no excuse. I'm mad at both you and Keith after your little display. It was just plain rude." Lance spat, crossing his arms over his chest. Shiro let out a long, fed up sigh. He wasn't about to argue with Lance too over this. 

"Don't be mad at Keith. Did you not see how his heart broke after you rejected him? I bet you would have acted the same way. You've known your mother a lot longer than Keith." Shiro had a point, but it wasn't clicking with Lance. 

"I would have made my mum's death more peaceful than that. My siblings and I wouldn't have argued in such a way. A death isn't an excuse to get mad at everything." Lance wasn't letting his temper down, wanting anything but to be talking to Shiro right now. 

"At least talk to Keith. His mother just died, none of us could ever imagine how that feels." Shiro left shortly after, allowing Lance to bask in his words. Maybe he should talk to Keith; right this moment though wasn't a good idea. He wanted to stay away from Keith for a while. 

After calming himself for a few seconds with deep breaths, he leaned down to pick up his bayard, ready to get cleaned up. He stared at it, knowing that he would have to give it back to Keith soon. The original paladins were back now and he would soon be reunited with Blue. Allura had already told him that she didn't mind giving up her seat to him, considering Blue chose him first. Lance gripped the bayard tight in his hand as he headed for the changing rooms. 

Finally back into some comfy clothes, Lance made his way around the castle to find Keith. In all honesty, he could be anywhere right now. With his mother still, his room, the main hall, with anyone else in the castle. It wouldn't be an easy job finding him. Anger still brewed in the pit of his stomach- he knew he wasn't going to react to Keith in a healthy way. There was one place where he wanted to be though. 

Lance sighed as he sat himself on the floor below the Blue Lion, taking in her energy. She purred, comforting the stressed individual. He let out a soft laugh at her, excited to soon be back in her cockpit, where he truly belonged. 

"Lance," A voice called out his name, shaking him from his small internal chat with his Lion. Lance turned his head to see who it was, revealing it to be Keith. "I didn't know that you would be here."

"Oh." Lance's reply was blunt and sour, shocking Keith a little. He thought Lance might have forgiven him by now. 

"I can go, if you want me to." Keith spoke, his voice still hoarse from his crying earlier, eye's still puffy and red too. Lance hated seeing Keith in such a way, but he was still upset with him regardless. Lance rolled his eyes, pushing himself up from the floor before making his way over to Keith. Keith took in a sharp breath as Lance made his way over. All Lance did was simply shove the red bayard at Keith's chest, scowling at him as he did so. 

"Take it. It's not mine anymore." Lance murmured before swiftly walking off, leaving Keith alone with the Lions. As much as he had wanted to stay and talk with Blue, he couldn't stand to be near Keith. 

-

Keith didn't know what to do with himself anymore. All he wanted to do was be with someone who could cheer him up, but his top three choices were all currently unavailable. His mother, dead. His best friend, mad at him. His lover, hated him. It wasn't in his nature to go and find someone else to complain to. The only option was to keep to himself.

Keith walked into the kitchen of the castle, hoping to find some sort of snack to take his mind off things. No surprise that Hun was in there, currently making something. It was unusual to see Keith anywhere near the kitchen, so Keith's little surprise visit made Hunk very happy. 

"Hey Keith, how you doing?" Hunk asked, putting down the bowl on the side, making time to talk to Keith. He knew that this wasn't an easy day for him and that he was exhausted. He would be able to rest soon. 

"I'm coping," Keith admitted, arms hugging his stomach as he took a step into the kitchen before resting himself on the countertop. "I'm just exhausted."

"You look it," Hunk sighed, resting himself on the countertop too, chin rested in his palm. "You should get some rest."

"I know, but I can't sleep by myself. It's a weird thing, I guess. I get really bad nightmares sometimes but they seem to disappear if I'm with someone." Keith shrugged, not knowing what he would do for the night. 

"Don't you usually stay with Lance?" Hunk asked, wondering why Keith all of a sudden mentioned about having to stay with someone, but not mention Lance during it. 

"Hunk, he hates me now. So does Shiro. All because of my stupid anger outburst earlier. I don't want to be on a team full of people that hate me."

"I'm sure they don't hate you, they're just upset too. I don't hate you. Oh, I know! How about you and me have a sleepover tonight?" Hunk's cheery tone never failed to make Keith feel better about himself. "It'll be fun, trust me!" 

"That seems fun. I'm up for it. What are you making, anyway?" Keith asked, changing the subject so it was no longer about him. Hunk's eyes lit up and he swiveled round to grab his bowl, showing Keith the mixture. 

"Space cookies!" He was so excited to show Keith and it warmed Keith's heart. "In fact, I was making them for you, to cheer you up."

"You're actually too kind." Keith grinned, watching as Hunk went back to making the cookies. About an hour later, they were done, and they smelled amazing. Keith had never seen Hunk look so proud of anything he had made. It surprised Keith how well Hunk took to the alien recipes and foods, never even letting it phase him. Hunk was an extraordinary chef as well as a super tech guy. 

It wasn't long after that when the two of them headed to Hunk's room, only to stumble across Matt and Shiro on the way there. Almost on instinct, Keith moved himself closer to Hunk. He didn't want to deal with those two right now, not after such a long and exhausting day. Keith kept his gaze low as they walked closer, hoping that in doing so, they wouldn't see him. Of course, that wasn't how hiding worked. 

"Keith, wait," Shiro spoke up, reaching out to grab Keith's arm. At the second he felt Shiro's arm touch him, Keith spun around to face him, impatience slapped on his face. "Can we talk?" 

"No. I just want to be alone right now, okay? I just want to forget today ever happened. I can't stand being around anyone. Especially you and Lance." Keith spat, taking Shiro by surprise. He went to turn to walk with Hunk again, only for Shiro to stop him. 

"Listen, I'm sorry for earlier. I missed up real bad and-"

"Because of you, Lance hates me now! He can't stand to be near me. I can't stand to be near you, either." Keith spoke fast, trying to get his point out so he could just leave. The saddened look on Shiro's face was something no one had really seen before. Hunk had to pull Keith away from Shiro, fearing the two may bicker again. It had been a long day and everyone needed a good rest.

-

The next morning, Allura called everyone in the castle to a meeting. She had seen how divided the team had been lately, and with this, they wouldn't be able to form Voltron if the time called for it. It needed to be sorted now or things could go sour. Everyone gathered in the main hall, everyone spaced out on the small couches formed in a circle. Lotor, Coran, and Allura all sat together, ready for this little therapy session they had planned. 

"Thank you all for coming, I know it is early but we have something important we must address. Us three have seen how divided the team has become lately, which is not good. As a team, we must all be there for one another no matter what. Arguments must be resolved at some point." Allura spoke up, everyone's gaze now on her. 

"After what happened yesterday, we really need to get things back under control. We know how much you guys love each other, you're practically a family. Families fight, we get that. But they also make up with one another." Coran added on, his hands rested in his lap. 

"Shiro, Keith, you two displayed behavior yesterday that shocked everyone. You must sort it out between you two, no one else involved." Lotor called out the two friends first, hoping to get the biggest disagreement out of the way first. After all, no one had ever seen the two go at each other like that. It was a true shock. Shiro let out a long sigh as he glanced over at Keith, who was slumped in his seat, brows furrowed and arms crossed over his chest.

"Keith, I never meant to upset you. You know that. The timing was wrong and I was wrong for hiding it from you all that time. I never meant to start a fight with you and I overreacted. I have no excuse." Shiro spoke up, hoping that Keith would finally accept his apology. After yesterday, he doubted much would have changed. 

"I forgive you. I shouldn't have reacted in such a way. I was rude. I really am sorry. I should have handled the situation better." Keith responded, shocking everyone. No one expected Keith to be so sincere with his apology. Shiro couldn't help but smile at this, relief overwhelming him. Before anyone knew what was going on, Shiro had pushed himself up and rushed over to Keith, pulling the paladin up into a big hug. Everyone aw'ed at the two, except Pidge, who made a disgusted face. She hated all that dramatic and corny stuff people did. 

"That's good you two. Now, Lance and Keith. I believe you two aren't on the best terms as of now." Coran started up, calling for the next two to apologize. However, Lance still kept up his facade of being mad, not wanting to give in so easily.

"Lance, you know I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted so rashly. You heard what I just said." Keith spoke, his voice low and meek. Lance simply scoffed and rolled his eyes, not wanting to do this in front of everyone else. It felt awkward and forced. 

"I just can't believe you acted that way. I wouldn't have done that." Lance mumbled, wanting to get up and leave already. 

"This isn't about you, Lance! Can you not see that I'm genuinely sorry? Why are you making this so hard for everyone?" Keith asked, desperation dripping from his tone. Everyone was now wondering whether these two would ever make up. It seemed as if Lance was having none of it. 

"Lance, can't you see how hard Keith is trying for you?" Matt butt in, hoping that he could somehow convince Lance to just give it up already. "It's obvious how much he cares for you, yet you're just discarding him to the side because of one incident that he really had no control over. Give him some mercy, he just went through the worst thing anyone could ever go through." 

Keith shot a thankful smile in Matt's direction, the tension between the two now gone. Keith understood what happened between Matt and Lance was an accident. What Lance did was so much worse than what Keith did, yet Keith forgave Lance. Why couldn't Lance forgive him back?

"What I did hasn't affected you in any way and yet you still act as if it did. I shouted at Shiro, not you, yet he was able to forgive me just like that. I was able to forgive you for what you did to me a few weeks back and that was so much worse. If you aren't able to forgive me, then forget it," Lance looked up at this point, wondering what Keith had meant by it. "If you want nothing to do with me, then I wish the same."

"This isn't what is meant to be happening." Lotor groaned, hiding his face in his hands. They were meant to be making up, not breaking up! If Lance just wasn't so damn stubborn. 

"Wait, no, Keith. I'm sorry, I swear-" 

"Enough, Lance. If you want to apologize properly, do it later, since you obviously don't have the guts to do it in front of everyone else," Keith was bitter as he spoke. Everyone was expecting something to happen now, from either one of them. Lance looked completely and utterly heartbroken, whereas Keith just looked empty. "I need to be alone." 

Keith got up and walked off, no one trying to stop him. They all knew that Keith really did need time alone now. Everything was just too much for him at the moment, even if he tried his best to hide that away from everyone. It wasn't long before everyone turned to face Lance.

"Why couldn't you just say sorry?" Pidge asked, letting out a sigh. She was disappointed in her friend for acting in such a way. Lance stepped over the line and he damn well knew he did too. "He's lost everything. Just give him something more to live for now. Don't mess this up for yourself."

-

Lance stood outside Keith's room, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to figure out what he would say to him. All that was running through his mind was thoughts on how stupid he had been and how dumb he had acted around everyone. If he had just apologized then he wouldn't be here right now and everything would be okay. Lance knocked on the door before pressing the button to open it, the doors slowly hissing open to reveal Keith, standing at his small desk in the corner. 

Lance made his way in side, watching as Keith fiddled with his Blade, holding it in his hands as he examined it. It was the only thing he had left of his mother now. The only thing he had to remember her by. 

"Hey," Lance breathed, standing himself next to Keith. "Can we talk?"

"This is the only thing I have left of my mother," The way Keith spoke sent a chill down Lance's spine. "All I have." 

"Keith, are you okay?" Lance asked, resting a hand on Keith's shoulder. The red paladin didn't budge. 

"I wish I could see her again," The way Keith smiled signalled to Lance that maybe he wasn't okay. He was acting very strange and it worried him. "Do you think I could?"

"Okay, what is going on with you?" Lance scoffed, thinking this was some sort of sick joke Keith was playing at. 

"I want to see her again, Lance." Keith finally had some emotion in his voice. From where he was standing, Lance could see a single tear slip down Keith's cheek. 

"I know. It'll be okay." Lance spoke soft and low, hoping his tone would calm Keith down a little bit. 

"What if I just," Keith manoeuvred the blade in his hand, moving it so that the point of the blade was facing Keith's stomach. "Joined her?" 

Lance was brisk to realize what Keith was about to do, grabbing the paladin's wrists and twisting him around to face him, subsequently knocking the blade out of his hand. It echoed as it hit the floor and Lance let out a sigh of relief. Keith had his head hung low, breathing heavily at the sudden rush of everything. Lance had a strong grip on Keith's wrists, preventing him from doing anything. Thankfully, Keith didn't resist. In fact, he didn't do anything. Lance was shaking, terrified what Keith might have done if he hadn't of got there in time. Keith had begun to cry again, his sobs quiet and small. He kept his head low, not wanting to look at Lance. 

"Oh Keith, it's okay. Don't cry. I'm here," Lance dragged Keith in for a hug, holding him close. This Keith was so different from the one a few months back. He no longer had any life left in him. No fight left. He never bickered with Lance and failed to stay positive. It was heart-wrenching to see such an awful transformation. "Don't you ever do that again. Don't even think about it."

Keith stayed silent apart from his sobs, which were slightly muffled due to the fact his face was buried in Lance's chest. Never had Lance thought that Keith could be in such a negative mindset. Maybe that explains why he tried to sacrifice himself for the team; maybe then he would mean something to them. 


	7. Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team have a relaxing day on a planet like earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter is shorter due to the fact the last two will probably be somewhat quite long. the last two chapters will also be rather upsetting for some so please be warned now.

Lance never brought up the events of the night before. He wanted to keep that between him and Keith. Keith felt the same way and was glad that Lance was so considerate about it. He knew what he did was wrong but in that very moment, all Keith wanted to do was be with his mother. It must have been all the recent events that just overwhelmed him. 

Keith couldn't exactly remember everything after Lance had stopped him. All he remembered was waking up next to Lance, cuddled close to him in the early hours of the morning. He made a mental note to thank Allura for simulating daylight hours on the ship for the paladins. It made life a whole lot easier. 

Keith had managed to slither out of bed without waking Lance. He didn't want to disturb the sleeping beauty. He had also managed to get partially dressed before Lance woke up, wondering what was going on. He blinked his eyes open, finally looking at Keith.

"Hey," Lance spoke, his morning voice still very present. Keith glanced over his shoulder with a grin as he put on his boot, stumbling back a little as he did. "How you feeling?"

"Better," Keith stood back up straight, straightening out his shirt and reaching for his jacket. "Thank you, for everything. Now get up, I don't want to miss breakfast."

"You can go without me." lance complained, pulling the bed sheets over his head. he hated getting up early. Keith chuckled to himself and pulled the covers away from Lance's head. 

"Yes, but I don't want to. Come on." Keith reached a hand out for Lance, hoping that it would convince him to get out of the bed. Thankfully it did and soon Lance was getting up and ready. As Lance was getting ready, Keith straightened out the bed, making it look nice. He hated a messy bed, despite Lance's best arguments as to why making a bed was unnecessary. 

Once Lance was finally done, they headed off together to go get some food. They were pretty much silent as they walked, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was quite relaxing and soothing. The two basked in their shared silence, wondering what food they would be having today. When they both walked in together, everyone turned to face them, stopping what they were doing. 

"I see the two lovebirds are back together." Pidge commented, a cheeky grin on her face. Keith rolled his eyes at her before making his way to the spare seat next to her. Without hesitation, Keith reached up and ruffled Pidge's hair; something that she really hated. 

"I see the midget hasn't grown any taller." Keith retaliated back, knowing that later he was probably going to pay for that. He could already feel Pidge's eyes burning into his very soul. It wasn't long before Lance had sat next to Keith, letting out a long, dramatic sigh as he did so. 

"So, what are we doing today?" Lance asked, looking over to Princess Allura. She seemed to perk up at this question, excited to tell everyone what she had planned. 

"I found a planet that is almost identical to Earth, except a few minor changes like the fact it's smaller and aliens live on it. Other than that, it really is similar. I was wondering if you guys would like to have a day off and visit it?" Allura asked, waiting to see the paladin's reactions. they were all quick to agree, now very excited to get there and have some relaxing time off the ship. It felt like they hadn't stepped foot off the ship in a while, so it would be good to get out for a bit. 

"How long will it take to get there?" Matt asked, resting his elbows on the table in front of him. Shiro was quick to smack them off, knowing it was rude to do so. Matt scowled at Shiro for this, just wanting to be comfortable for a few seconds. 

"Not long at all, probably one of your Earth hours," Coran replied, standing up from where he had been sat. "I'll go put in the correct coordinates now and we can be on our way!" 

Coran promptly left the room and the others quickly scoffed down their breakfast, ready to get out and run around on this planet. Pidge was dancing in her seat as she finished the last of her food, Lance practically dying at the sight of her doing such a thing. 

Allura wasn't joking when she said this planet was like Earth. They could tell as soon as they stepped off just how similar it was, from the atmosphere all the way down to the dirt below them. Of course, there were the obvious differences, like the aliens walking around and staring at them, but that wasn't going to put them off having a fun day together. 

"I can't believe it." Keith exclaimed, taking in the surrounding area around him as they stepped off the castle. 

"This is amazing, Allura. Thank you for this!" Hunk scooped the princess up into a bear hug, showing his thanks through affection. It was how Hunk showed his feelings. 

It wasn't long before they all ran off, ready to see what had to be seen. The first place they all headed seemed to be some sort of marketplace. Aliens mingled around, buying things and talking with their friends. It was just like on Earth. The things these aliens were selling were beautiful and intricate, each one unique and different. Pidge grabbed Hunk by the wrist and dragged him off into the crowd, the two soon disappearing. Shiro and Matt seemed to pair up and disappear too, no one really knowing where they were going. Those two had been really close lately. 

Allura and Lotor headed off in another direction, Coran rushing off to try barter with some of the local aliens. That left just Lance and Keith. Neither of them knew what to do or where to go. The whole situation was overwhelming, but in a good way. 

"Hey, I have an idea." Keith mumbled, grabbing Lance by the wrist and dragging him off, away from the bustling marketplace. Lance wondered where he was being taken and why Keith was so secretive about it. 

"Where are we going?" Lance chuckled, a different side of Keith being a weird thing to see. It seemed that he wanted to be alone with Lance away from everyone else. Keith was leading him into what seemed to be a small forest. 

"Just shut up and trust me." Keith grumbled, tugging Lance along even more. Keith had remembered the one time Lance had told him about life back on Earth, and that he loved to climb trees with his family. That he used to help his younger brother and sister get to the higher places, even though they weren't really allowed. 

Eventually, Keith got to the spot he had envisioned. A small clearing with a running lake passing through. The water trickled and echoed through the forest, giving off that peaceful atmosphere they did back on Earth. The look on Lance's face made this so worthwhile for Keith. He had never seen Lance look so happy. 

"I remembered how you said you loved forests as a child with your family back on Earth. As soon as we got here I could hear water nearby." Keith commented, glancing at the lake for a spilt-second. 

"And yet I'm meant to be the water paladin?" Lance joked, pulling Keith into a tight hug, silently thanking him for how thoughtful he had been. Keith groaned and hugged back, burying his face in the crook of Lance's neck. It was a blissful moment that they would share forever.

-

Matt and Shiro were sat in what seemed to be a small park, where alien children played together and their laughter rang through the air. A cool breeze complimented the hot day and Shiro was suddenly thankful they weren't in their paladin suits. 

"Matt, I wanted to talk to you about something." Shiro spoke up, stealing Matt's attention away from the view he was admiring. 

"Yeah?" Matt responded, turning his body to face Shiro. 

"I know how you feel about Lance and him being with Keith and everything. I just wanted to let you know that there are plenty of other aliens and people out there," Matt chuckled at this, rolling his eyes. Shiro was a great leader, but a horrible motivational speaker. "Plus, I'm sure this will all blow over."

"Thanks, Shiro. You're a great guy. Besides, I don't think I like Lance anymore." Matt shrugged, laying back on the grass, staring up at the sky. Shiro raised a brow, not knowing of this news. 

"Oh?" Shiro spoke, brushing his hair back out his face. He wondered if maybe Allura had something that could help keep his hair back. He didn't want to cut it back to its short length. 

"I think I like someone else," Matt announced, resting his hands behind his head. Suddenly his view was blocked by Shiro, who was leaning over him. The confused look on his face said it all. "What?" 

"Who do you like now?" Shiro asked, wondering how he could jump from person to person so easily. This wasn't the guy he knew back in the garrison days. 

"Hmm, a certain someone. You may know him." Matt teased, not giving up who he liked so easily. Shiro groaned lowly, not wanting to play such a childish game. He had never been good at them and he just wanted to know. 

"Is it Keith?" Shiro guessed, Matt snorting at the name. No way on Earth, he barely knew Keith anyways. 

"No, I barely know the guy. Plus, he's kind of taken. He's older than Keith anyway." Matt gave another clue, confusing Shiro so much more. The only guy he knew that was older than Keith was himself, or even Lotor. 

"Please tell me it isn't Lotor." Shiro whined, looking down at Matt. His friend shook his head. 

"Do you really want to know who it is?" Matt asked, seeing that Shiro was getting overly frustrated at not being able to guess who it was. Shiro nodded, letting out a short sigh of relief of finally being able to know who it was that Matt liked. "You."

"Me?" Shiro responded, his eyebrows knitted together at the confession. It wasn't that he didn't feel the same way; it was the fact he was shocked it was him in the first place. "Why me?"

"Well, you're kind and genuine for one. You know me well and have been by my side through everything. You saved me from potentially getting killed in the damn arena," Matt explained, trying to think of even more reasons as to why he felt so strongly about his friend. "You helped me in the garrison. You always made sure I was okay and made sure that I was safe. You talked sense into me when I needed it. There are so many things, Shiro." 

"You're making me sound like some type of hero." Shiro laughed, laying himself down next to Matt, letting out a content sigh. 

"Well you are. Not just to me, but your team and everyone you have saved. You are a paladin of Voltron. You helped save thousands even though you didn't have to. You are a hero. You're Shiro the hero!" Matt joked, trying not to laugh at his own joked. If being a hero of the galaxy failed, at least he could become a potential poet. Shiro sighed at this, hearing that joke one too many times now. Hearing it from Matt was something different though and he didn't mind it as much. 

"You're a hero too, Matt. You helped save my ass from the galra." Shiro yawned, the fresh air making him feel a little drowsy. 

"I was also the one who located you." Matt added in, yawning as well. It wasn't long before the two had dozed off in the warm day, snuggled close together. 

-

A few hours after landing, everyone had somehow all ended up at what seemed to be a beach. The sand looked the same, the water looked the same. It still had that salty sea air smell that reminds you of summer. Lance had been desperate to go to a beach for the longest of time and now, he was finally standing with his toes buried in the sand. 

It was very serene; the waves crashed down lazily on the sand, slowly making their way back out after they were done. The heat beat down on them, warming their skin and making them feel relaxed. The evening sky had started to appear, red's mixed with pinks and oranges. The relaxing sounds of the beach around them were broken when they heard Pidge scream in delight, soon seeing her fly past them as she sprinted towards the sea, Matt following behind her. They ran into the shallows, jumping around in the cool sea water and kicking it up at one another.

Their laughter echoed over the bay as the others watched, Hunk soon following suit and rolling up the bottoms of his trousers, just enough so they wouldn't get soaking. Lance and Keith were next to follow, hand in hand as they charged into the sea. Shiro watched on, not a big fan of the salty water. 

"I never had the chance to play in the sea when I was a child," Lotor commented, arms crossed over his chest with a fond smile on his face. "I guess everyone was just too busy with killing each other." 

"How about you take that opportunity now?" Allura suggested, gesturing towards the waves. Lotor seemed hesitant. "It's not scary."

"For someone who has never stepped feet in such a vast open body of water, it is pretty scary." Lotor commented, his platinum hair twitching with the soft breeze. Shiro sighed, rolling his eyes. He didn't want to step foot in the sea, but wasn't about to let Lotor miss this childhood dream of his. 

"I'll go in if you will. I'm not a fan of the sea myself but I can stay with you." Shiro suggested, already rolling up the bottom of his trousers. Lotor sigh before smiling wide, copying Shiro's actions. The two soon jogged off towards the sea, stopping before the water could touch them. From where Allura was standing, she could tell Lotor was tense by his body language. 

"Is it cold?" Lotor asked, watching the other paladins laugh and scream in joy. Shiro chuckled before nodding, taking in a deep breath to prepare himself for it. 

"Yeah, it can be. You ready?" Shiro asked, watching the waves slowly inch closer. Lotor slowly nodded his head and the two took a step into the water, both reacting to the bitter coldness. How could the others be okay with this torture? 

"Goodness, it is cold!"Lotor exclaimed, trying to laugh it off. It wasn't long before the both of them were running back to the warm sands, hoping it would warm them up again. Allura and Coran were in fits of laughter as they saw the two of them running back, almost like they were being chased by some sort of deadly sea creature. 

The other's continued to play contently in the shallow waters, happy to have a relaxing break from the stresses of Voltron. Lance stopped for a second to catch his breath, strong arms soon being wrapped around his waist and someone resting on his back. Lance had never seen Keith so happy and content with life, it was a pure sight to see. A genuine smile was the best reward Lance could have gotten from this. 

"You okay?" Lance asked, a fond smile on his face. Lance turned around, draping his arms over Keith's shoulders, Keith's arms still wrapped around his waist. 

"I'm perfect," Keith sighed, this day being everything he could have imagined and even more. It was the single, most perfect day he had ever lived in his 18 years of life. "I couldn't be any better."

"I'm glad, you deserve to have a day like this." Lance grinned, pulling Keith in closer. The blue paladin rested his hand against Keith's cheek, his thumb gently stroking Keith's warm skin. Keith grinned fondly, leaning into the touch. They both leaned in, ready to share a sweet kiss, only to be interrupted by Pidge shouting at them from a few meters away. 

"That's disgusting, get a room!" Pidge yelled, interrupting the two lovebirds. Keith glanced over at her, a scowl very obvious on his face. She stuck her tongue out at him, irritating him even more. They couldn't do anything without Pidge interrupting them recently. 

"You're a dead man, Pidge!" Keith yelled, leaving Lance's arms to chase after the green paladin, her scream echoing across the bay as she ran, hoping not to get caught by Keith. The boys had almost become like brothers to her. Now she had Matt and the 3 she considered brothers. She couldn't be happier to have such a close and wonderful family, who she helped save the universe with. 

-

Keith and Lance finally got some alone time, leaving the others to continue to play in the sea. They walked along the shore, the waves covering their feet every now and then. The strange alien-like birds flew overhead, their calls echoing as they flew by. Their hands were intertwined, swinging by their sides as they just strolled along, taking in everything around them. 

"You know, we never officially asked each other out." Keith mentioned, dragging his feet in the wet sand. 

"You're right, we never did," Lance replied, a stupid, loved-up grin on his face. They both shared a quick laugh, before they fell silent again. Neither of them really knew what to do after Keith's comment. "So."

"So?"

"What do you say?" Lance asked, stopping in his tracks. Keith raised a brow, wondering what Lance was talking about. What was he talking about? Lance groaned and rolled his eyes, taking Keith's other hand in his own. 

"What do you mean?" Keith wondered, glancing down at their joined hands. 

"Do you want to be my boyfriend?" Lance spoke with no hesitation, no worry whatsoever. Keith suddenly realized and wanted to smack himself for being so clueless. 

"Yes, yeah, of course. I'm sorry, I'm really clueless aren't I?" Keith laughed, dropping one of Lance's hands so he could hide his face. Lance chuckled and nodded his head, pulling Keith close to him. 

"You are, but that's you. I wouldn't change it for the world." Lance mumbled, resting his forehead against his partners. The blush on Keith's cheeks was evident in the evening light, which made him look even more gorgeous.

Lance couldn't keep holding himself back any longer. With no warning, he pressed his lips against Keith's in a sweet, passionate kiss. It was picturesque; everything fell into place like it should. The world around them stopped, letting them bask in the perfection of the moment. Keith kissed back instantly, his head tilting to the side to deepen the kiss. His hands fell to rest of Lance's waist, pulling him closer. Their bodies were flushed together, practically leaving no space between them. They had waited for this moment for a while, to be alone and away from everyone else, simply spending precious time with one another. With what they were doing in space, they never knew when their last moments together would be. 

They parted a few moments later, the rush of it all still running through their veins. They were both ecstatic; the grins on both their faces proved it so. Lance pressed another chaste kiss to Keith's lips, taking a slight step back to put space between the two of them again. 

"It's good to finally kiss you again," Lance commented, taking hold of Keith's hand once again. The two began to head back towards the others, knowing that they would have to leave and board the castle soon. "I could do it forever."

"Shut up, you sap. Let's get back before they leave us behind." 

-

Once back on the castle, everyone calmed down a bit. The excitement of the day was over now, and drowsiness was seeping in, slowly but surely. Pidge had fallen asleep on Matt's lap before they could even grab some food. She was still young, so getting over excited could wear her out quickly. 

keith was beginning to get sleepy, his head comfortably rested on Lance's shoulder. Today had been just perfect for everyone and no one wanted to let it end. Even Lotor seemed to have a good time. 

"You know, I never thought I would ever be playing in an ocean with the paladins of Voltron." Lotor spoke up, catching everyone's attention. 

"I never thought I would be convincing one of our enemies to join me." Shiro responded, a laugh being shared between everyone. 

"I am not your enemy anymore though, Shiro. Remember that." Lotor reminded him, not wanting to be seen like his father was. He didn't want to be seen as someone who killed for the fun of it, or captured people just to see them suffer. Lotor was different from his father; there was good in him, no matter how many times people tried to tell him there wasn't. 

"You're still annoying though," Lance butt in, earning a playful scowl from the galra opposite him. "Only the truth, buddy."

"Could say the same for you, Blue paladin." Lotor retaliated, a dramatic gasp coming from Lance soon after. 

"Alright you lot, it's best you all head off to bed. You have all had a long day and tomorrow we jump right back into being the defenders of the universe." Allura announced, everyone rising from their seats at her orders. They all filed out of the room one by one, feet dragging on the castle floor. Matt carried Pidge back to her room, not wanting to wake her from her sleep. 

Lance and Keith walked back together, silent as they strolled. They were both exhausted and needed rest but also didn't want to leave each other's side. That wouldn't be the case however, as they knew they would end up in the same bed together. It was how they rolled now. 

-

The next day Lance was deep in the castle, trying to figure out why the training simulation wasn't working. He had tried to start it up and nothing was happening, so he assumed it was a tech fault. He was no good with tech, but perhaps something had just been switched off. There was a power switch for everything major in the castle at the very bowels of it, hidden away from everyone. Lance had managed to find it. 

Lance searched around the room, trying to find something that would explain his problem. Eventually, he found a switch that was switched off, and he knew that it was what he had been looking for. With a groan, he managed to switch it back on, proud of himself for figuring out what was wrong. He felt like a proper technician. He was so excited to tell Hunk this good news. Maybe even Pidge would be proud too, and not make some stupid remark about how it was 'super easy' to figure out. 

A loud bang behind him made him jump and turn, wondering what had just happened. Had been he broken the castle? There in the doorway was a figure, dark and towering. No one else was down this far in the castle, so Lance was really confused as to who this was. He took a few cautious steps closer, hoping that they currently weren't under attack and he was just unaware. As much as he was in his paladin armor and had his bayard with him, he wasn't ready to fight anyone, especially not at super close range in a crowded room. Even in the dark, Lance could see a dark grin on the shadow's face, mocking him. It was then he realized who it was standing before him. Fear flooded over him. 

"Shiro?"

"Hello, Lance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh :)


	8. A Great Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor geos to visit the clone Shiro, causing possibly the greatest problem Voltron has ever faced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh this has violence and blood in it and is pretty intense i guess

Lotor usually got up earlier than anyone else in the castle. He didn't need as much sleep, considering he was alien. All he really needed to do was rest, not sleep. As usual, he headed off to do something before the rest of the castle woke up. All of a sudden he remembered that they still had the fake Shiro locked up in one of the castle cells. Maybe he should go and pay him a visit.

The walk there was long and tedious, but Lotor had a few things to say to this Shiro and the others who were watching them. It had been bothering him since they all found out. Why didn't they just dispose of him? Was it just too much for them, considering he looked almost identical to their Shiro?

A few minutes had passed and Lotor finally arrived at the cell, carefully opening each intricate lock. Finally, he had done it and the cell door opened, revealing the traitor. Lotor stood his ground, knowing that he could take on this Shiro with no problem if it came down to it. He would let no harm come to the paladins because of this Shiro ever again. 

"Hey, Lotor. Long time no see." Shiro spoke, sounding almost apologetic for what he had done. Lotor would not let his guard down now. 

"Shut up. I'm not here to bring you out. I'm here to let you know how I really feel." Lotor snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. The fake Shiro had this look of confusion and hurt slapped across his face. The galra knew better than that. 

"I don't know what you mean." Shiro mumbled, furrowing his brows. 

"I know that you were made by the witch Haggar to spy on Voltron. Find out their weaknesses, break down the paladins until they eventually gave up on themselves. Keith left because of you. Lance doubted himself because of you. Lance trusted in you as a leader and all you did was yell at him for trying to keep the team safe. Not only that, you seriously hurt him." Lotor spoke, his voice rising as he came towards the end of his little rant, the anger really showing through. Never did Lotor ever think he would be protecting the paladins, yet here he was, ready to risk his life for them if needed. 

"I didn't mean to. You know that. It wasn't me." Shiro argued back, trying his best to defend his past actions. Still, Lotor was having none of his nonsense. 

"You put the whole team at risk multiple times already. I can't see why they haven't just gotten rid of you already. We don't need you anymore. We are Voltron, a team strong enough that even with weaknesses exploited, we can fight back and still win. We are not to be messed with." The tone of Lotor's voice showed how proud he was of Voltron and was intimidating at the very least. Anyone who was currently watching would be worried. 

"Listen, that was cool and all, but you're only saying this to me. No one else is here." Shiro scoffed, leaning back against the wall, arms folded over his chest. 

"I think differently." Lotor scowled, his eyes narrow as he stared at Shiro across the cell. As someone who had worked with Haggar before, he knew all the tricks she could pull. This was not the first time he had seen a clone in action. She had done it to many planets throughout many galaxies. These clones resulted in the death of thousands, possibly millions, of innocent alien races. 

"I can't tell you anything other than what I already know." Shiro mumbled, not wanting to be in the presence of Lotor any longer than he already had been.  

"I realize that, but if I had my way, you'd be dead. Princess Allura made a big mistake keeping you alive and well down here. You need to be disposed of. Sadly I must abide by the Princess' rules." Lotor stated, his hands balled into fists at his side. Lotor knew that Allura was being stupid by keeping a clone alive in the castle, knowing they were being tracked with every passing tick.

"I have a feeling you don't like me." Shiro had a dirty grin slapped on his face, ready to annoy the living daylights out of Lotor. 

"At least you seem to be intelligent in one thing." Lotor insulted, the anger boiling in his blood everytime the fake Shiro even remotely glanced at him. 

"I could say the same thing for you." Shiro retaliated back, not moving from where he was perched. 

"Don't make me hurt you." 

"You wouldn't dream of it." 

That was it, Lotor had had the last straw. Thankfully, he was able to hold himself back from just disposing of this Shiro right then and there. With a huff, Lotor sharply turned on his heel and left, hastily locking the cell door behind him. He rushed off, trying to calm himself down before he got back to the rest of the team. 

Shiro watched from his cell as Lotor walked away, waiting until he was out of sight. In the heat of the moment, Lotor hadn't properly checked over the locks, making sure they were all correctly in place. In fact, most of them weren't even done at all. This was a fatal mistake of Lotor's part. Within seconds of Lotor disappearing around the corner, Shiro had managed to trip out all the locks and escape, free to wander around the castle, unbeknown to everyone else. 

Shiro had it fixed in his mind that he needed to get rid of one certain team member of Voltron. The one that had just escaped his grip, the one who first figured it all out. The blue paladin, Lance. With Lance gone, the team would be broken. The first step to bringing Voltron down for good. He knew exactly where to go to find him, his mind being controlled to follow a certain set of instructions.

After walking down into the bowels of the castle, he stumbled upon Lance in the room where no one ever went. A perfect place to kill a paladin of Voltron and leave it unknown to the rest. No one would be able to find him until it was too late to save him this time around. He made himself known to him, spooking him in the process. It took Lance a while to figure out it was him, but the look of absolute fear and panic in his eyes when he realized was perfect. 

"Shiro?"

"Hello, Lance." 

Lance stumbled back at this revelation, knowing that he was screwed now. Lance knew he would not be able to take on Shiro again, not this Shiro. No way on Earth was he strong enough to defeat him himself. Shiro chuckled lowly, taking slow steps towards the terrified paladin. 

"How did you- How are you-"

"Lotor wasn't very good at doing up the locks. A perfect opportunity for me to escape and go unnoticed. No one even knows I'm here and no one knows that you're here, either. You can't get any help this time around, paladin." Shiro growled, backing Lance into a corner. The look in Lance's eyes lit a fire in Shiro. 

"Please, I don't mean you any harm!" Lance screamed, completely backed into one of the corners of the room now, his heart racing so fast he feared that it may kill him first. 

"Oh, but I do!" Shiro laughed, the tone of it sending shivers throughout Lance's body. There was no way Lance would be able to call for help. He had left his helmet up in the training room, meaning he couldn't contact the team through the coms. Even then, the team weren't suited up. There was no chance anyone would ever hear him this far down. 

-

The rest of the team were all gathered around a table, a large map of the solar system splayed out on the middle of it. Allura had called them all there to announce so exciting news. She was practically bouncing up and down on the spot. If she were any more excited, she may just burst. 

"Paladin's, I have figured out how to get us back to Earth! You will all be able to spend time with your families before we are called back out here to help!" Allura finally spoke, rushing it out as fast as she could. Pidge and Matt were the first to react, the siblings turning to each other before Pidge jumped on Matt, the two yelling and crying out of pure joy. They would get to see their father again and their mother! They could let them know they were alive and well and tell them all the adventures they went on. Hunk was overjoyed to hear such news. It had been a good while since he had spoken with his mother. He had so much that he needed to tell her and couldn't wait to eat some of her best dishes again. Earth food was something Hunk missed dearly. 

Keith was perched on the side of the table, smiling fondly as his team celebrated. Shiro stood behind him, watching on as well. Keith was happy for the three of them, knowing how much they all loved and adored their families. Pidge never shut up about hers and Hunk always boasted about how his mother was one of the best cooks around. 

"I don't think I've ever seen such joy." Shiro commented, grasping Keith's attention. 

"I'm happy for them." Keith replied, standing up from where he had been perched. He moved himsel next to Shiro. 

"I thought you'd be upset." Shiro looked at Keith next to him, seeing the genuine smile of happiness on his face. 

"I don't have any family left. Any real family, at least. Over time I've realized that you guys are my family. I wouldn't change any of it for the world. Pidge is like a younger sister I never got, never had to protect. Hunk is like my younger brother who I would tease, but love unconditionally. You're like my older brother, saving my ass from everything dumb I do. Coran is the crazy uncle everyone loves. Allura is the aunt that everyone adores. Lotor is that weird cousin that everyone strangely likes. Lance is my everything, my whole world." Keith never sounded so happy, even after all this time and everything he had been through. Shiro was proud of him for how far he had come. Emotions overwhelmed him and soon enough, he was squishing Keith in a great big hug. The other's realized this, rushing over to join the hug too. 

Voltron was Keith's family, and that was all he had ever wished for. 

-

"Shiro, please think about this!" Lance bellowed, desperately trying to figure out how he could escape from here without being chopped up into little pieces. Shiro wasn't listening to anything he had to say. His galran arm started to glow purple, like Lance had seen so many times before. Shiro was about to strike, so he had to act fast.

Shiro lunged forward, crying out as he did. Somehow, Lance managed only just to duck under him, rolling across the floor from where he threw himself. He was quick to glance up, seeing that he had pissed Shiro off even more now that he was evading his blows. Lance had dropped his bayard in the process of flinging himself to safety. Shiro sprinted at Lance, ready to strike again. Lance groaned and pushed himself up from the floor, sprinting towards his bayard. He managed to yet again dodge Shiro, his bayard now back in his possession. The bayard glowed and switched to the gun Lance was so used to holding. In the heat of the moment, he managed to shoot at Shiro, clipping his shoulder. The wound soon began to bleed. 

Shiro gazed at the wound on his shoulder, completely unfazed by it. The look of anger grew on his face. Lance was not getting away anymore. The blood dripped down from his arm, staining the floor a crimson red. It was like he had no pain whatsoever, no feeling in his body. Shiro was a literal robot at this point in time. Robots only ever did what they were told. 

Lance began to think; maybe he wouldn't be missed on the team after all. They had Allura who would easily be able to pilot the blue lion after his death. Keith would move on from him and find someone so much better. Hunk could find a new best friend. Maybe death wasn't such a bad thing after all?

No, he had to fight. He made a promise to Keith that he would fight for him, no matter the reason. Keith was everything to him and he loved him with his whole being, so giving up was no option anymore. The team needed him. They loved him and cared for him. Lance wasn't going down without a fight. Lance pushed himself to his feet, ready for when Shiro next attacked. However, Lance had been so caught up in his head he hadn't realized that Shiro was already charging at him. Shiro slammed straight into Lance, sending him flying across the floor. He landed with a massive thud, the wind being knocked completely out of him. He was unable to move and now his bayard was far out of reach. 

Shiro made his way over to where Lance was laying, unable to move from the pain coursing throughout his body. Everything hurt and there was nothing Lance could do to stop it. His chest burned as he tried to breath and he was convinced that something was wrong already. Not that it would matter soon, Shiro was going to kill him sooner or later. Shiro rested his foot on Lance's chest, pressing down to keep him pinned to the floor. Lance groaned, trying his best to fight back against it all. Nothing worked. 

"Look at you, the pathetic little blue paladin. No one will miss you." Shiro mocked, pressing down harder on Lance's chest. He could feel the chest plate of the armor begging to cave in. With this much pressure, it wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. That alone may kill Lance, the thick armor piercing through his chest and Shiro's foot crushing him. 

"That may be so, but they will know that I fought to live!" Lance spat, having to cough violently after. He could taste blood in his mouth, but he was unsure as to why. Now he was sure his lungs were collapsing as they spoke. 

"They won't, as they are next to be killed. They can't overpower me." Shiro spoke highly of himself. It made Lance feel physically sick. 

"You will never beat Voltron!" Lance yelled out, trying to pry Shiro's foot from his chest plate. The action only made Shiro press down harder. He could now physically hear the armor cracking. Death was coming and Lance had finally accepted it. 

"Oh, I will." Shiro spoke low, completely and utterly gone now. He was being fully controlled. This wasn't Shiro speaking anymore. Lance couldn't fight back anymore. He was weak and his energy was fading fast. All he wanted was for some miracle to happen, for his team to come running in and save him from this monster crushing him. All he could do now was call out in hopes someone was nearby. 

"Keith! Hunk! Somebody, please!" Lance cried out, hot tears streaming down his cheeks, wrists wrapped tightly around Shiro's ankle. He kept fighting even though he was tired. Shiro laughed manically at this, enjoying hearing Lance beg for someone to save him. "Lotor, Allura, anyone!"

"Alright, I've had my fun. Time to say goodbye, blue paladin." Shiro finally put all his force into putting his foot down, crushing the chest plate of Lance's armor. Lance cried out loudly at the sudden pain surging through his chest. He could feel the warm blood dripping down his chest already and could feel himself becoming weaker by the second. Lance was gasping for breath, feeling his life slip away from him with every slow, painful second that ticked by. He could hear the footsteps of his murderer echoing down the halls and away from him, leaving him to die in a pool of his own blood. 

-

"Hey, has anyone seen Lance?" Keith asked, suddenly realising that his partner had been missing for a while. Pidge shrugged her shoulders, turning to look at Hunk. Hunk had no idea either, so he then turned to Shiro. Shiro shook his head, letting out a sigh as he passed his gaze on to Lotor. 

"Sorry Keith, I haven't seen him anywhere today." Lotor commented, now also wondering where the blue paladin had gone to. Everyone was starting to worry; it wasn't like Lance to disappear from the castle without telling anyone where he was. 

"Did he say to anyone where he was going?" Keith sighed, brushing his fringe from his face. He was trying not to show how panicked he suddenly felt. 

Everyone once again shook their heads, no one having an idea where Lance was. Lotor sighed, feeling bad for Keith. It was obvious to him how worried he was. The galra glanced around the room, the monitor in the corner catching his eye. He squinted, trying to see if he could figure out what was blinking red at him. Without saying a word to the others, he rushed off towards the monitor, finally figuring out what was wrong. 

"Oh no..." Lotor whispered, panic washing over him. The paladins turned to him, brows raised at him. He turned to face the paladins. "Everyone get suited up, now!"

"Lotor, what's wrong? why do we need-" 

"Keith, shut up! The other Shiro has escaped, possibly explaining why Lance is missing. Get suited up quick and get to finding Lance and the other Shiro. Be careful as you do!" Lotor had to say no more, everyone rushed out the room and were swift to get properly suited up, weapons at the ready. 

Shiro and Matt were the first out, considering that Matt didn't really have proper armor anyways. The two rushed off to the lower end of the castle where the prsion cell was, hoping they would find this fake Shiro down there. Getting the fake Shiro out the way first was their main priority. Finding Lance was second. The two didn't stop running, having some sort of feeling they were heading in the right direction. 

They both silently hoped in their heads that Lance was okay somewhere else and they just weren't aware of it. Deep in their hearts though, they knew something was terribly wrong. They hoped that if Lance had been hurt, they would find him quick enough to save his life. Letting him die was not an option for Shiro. Their breathing was heavy as they stopped at a large, dark corridor. 

"Down there, look!" Matt smacked Shiro's arm, telling him to pay attention to the shadowy figure sauntering up the corridor. They both got themselves ready to fight, whoever it was. As the figure wandered closer, it revealed itself to be the one they were after. Shiro's eyes widened at the revelation of his clone. It was such a strange sight to see. 

"Holy shit..." Shiro whispered to himself, feeling really strange all of a sudden. This wasn't normal and he suddenly didn't feel right doing this. Matt rushed forward with no hesitation, taking on this Shiro himself in hopes that the real Shiro would soon follow behind him. 

The fake Shiro was ready for when Matt came sprinting at him, grabbing Matt's staff and effortlessly throwing him down the corridor. matt landed with a thud, sliding along the floor for a few more seconds before halting. The throw wasn't enough to stop Matt and he rushed to his feet, taking another swing at the fake Shiro, this time managing to knock him down. 

"Shiro, get your shit together and help me!" Matt bellowed, bringing Shiro back to reality. He perked up and rushed forward to help Matt in his battle. The two together managed to overpower the clone, taking him out with little hesitation or problem. It wasn't a pretty sight after they were done, but at least he was dead now. At least that was done with. The two got up, their chests falling and rising with their rapid breathing. The pair high fived each other, proud of what they had done. 

They then saw the blood trail leading down the corridor and knew that they had to follow it. As they went to run, they heard a groan behind them. To their shock and horror, the other Shiro rose up from the ground, completely unfazed. He looked like a zombie, practically unbeatable. Matt again rushed in, swinging wildly at the clone, hoping to do some more damage to him. Shiro thought to himself for a second, how does one beat something that is already practically dead?

"Matt, the head!" Shiro yelled, distracting Matt for a split-second. The clone still had power left to him and managed to push Matt against the wall harshly, knocking the air from him. Matt fell to the ground, grasping his stomach. He needed time to cooperate, so Shiro had to take over. It was weird, he was trying to kill himself without dying in the process. 

Shiro raced forward, knocking down the zombie-like clone to the floor. Shiro held him there with his foot pressed on his chest as he signaled for Matt to move his ass and get the tracker out. once that was out, the clone would shut down, essentially dying. Matt managed to crawl over to the clone, still struggling to get his breath back. The clone struggled under Shiro's foot, but was too weak to fight back anymore. Matt was quick to locate the tracker and rip it out, the clone simply stopping as soon as it was gone. Blood slowly trickled from the back of it's head, proving their job was done. Shiro let out a long sigh of relief, offering a hand to Matt. He took it and Shiro pulled him to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Shiro asked, pulling Matt in for a hug. He felt so guilty about what just happened to him. Matt could only nod and hug back, finally being able to catch his breath a little. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." 

"Hey," Matt coughed, pulling back from the hug to grin up at Shiro. "Still alive, aren't I?" 

"But you're hurt!" Shiro whined, brushing the hair from Matt's face. Shiro could still tell that Matt was aching. He'd been flung everywhere by that other Shiro. By the clone. "I should have protected you." 

"It's okay, Shiro. He's gone. I'm okay." Matt reassured him, subtly glancing down at the body on the floor next to them. Shiro sighed as he looked down at it, nudging it with his foot. Matt groaned at the gesture, smacking Shiro lightly on the chest. 

"I can't believe I literally just killed myself and didn't die." Shiro commented, still trying to take in the fact he had a clone of him in the first place. It was a lot more accurate than he had ever imagined. It was scary and now he was wondering whether he was a secret clone too. 

"Why are you so weird, honestly?" Matt asked, managing to laugh in such a serious situation. Shiro shrugged, before falling back into fight mode. They needed to find Lance and that blood trail was their best bet currently. 

"Let's go find our blue paladin." Shiro spoke, rushing off in the direction of the blood trail. Neither of them had been this deep in the castle and it was strange. It felt... off, like they weren't meant to be there. The trail continued to lead them on, almost seeming as if it would never end. As they got deeper and deeper, the dread in the pit of their stomachs grew. Lance had obviously managed to get a hit in from the wound on the clone's shoulder, but if he was left down here injured, it was more than likely he was dead. The blood lead them to a dark room, bad vibes radiating from it. They stopped outside, preparing themselves for whatever might be in there. 

"Do you think..?"

"Yeah, I think he's in there. I don't think it's good though, so prepare yourself for something you won't want to see." Matt nodded at Shiro, knowing that even he was feeling anxious. Neither of them wanted to find Lance dead, but it would be better than one of the other three finding him in such a state. 

The two slowly began to walk in, their eyes slowly adjusting to the dark of the room. The little light that was in there revealed there was a body on the ground and it was definitely Lance. Without a moments hesitation, Matt rushed to his side and dropped to his knees, inspecting the damage. He knew instantly it was too late. Shiro had a strong stomach, but seeing one of his closest friends practically torn apart made him have to look away. He couldn't bear it and had to rush off to the corner, vomiting from the sight. Matt let out a long sigh as he brushed Lance's bloodied hair away from his face, his skin still a little warm. He hadn't been dead too long. they could have saved him. Matt could hear Shiro emptying his guts in the corner, along with voices shouting over the coms in Shiro's helmet. 

"Shiro, Shiro are you okay?" Keith yelled over the coms, hearing all the commotion of Shiro throwing up. Shiro wiped his mouth off and took a deep breath, finally turning back to face Matt and Lance's body. 

"I-I'm fine, Keith." Shiro commented, still feeling incredibly nauseous. He slowly waddled over to Lance's body before also dropping to his knees, Lance's blood covering his paladin armor. Shiro let out a long sigh as he grabbed one of Lance's hands, holding it in his own. If only they had known he was down here.

"Did you kill the clone?" Pidge asked next, hoping to hear good news. 

"Yeah Pidge, we got him." Shiro answered, the three other paladins cheering Shiro on and congratulating him. He wasn't able to take it in, considering he was currently knelt in front of one of his best friend's body. Shiro's hand was shaking, whether it be from anger or sadness he didn't truly know. 

"How about Lance, did you find him?!" Hunk asked, sounding panicked and out of breath. Matt heard, looking up at Shiro, his gaze apologetic. He didn't want Shiro to be the bad news bearer. It was hard enough having to just look at it. 

"We did." Shiro spoke slow and meek, already struggling to carry on. 

"And? Is he alive? Is he hurt?" Keith asked. Shiro took in a sharp breath, locking eyes with Matt. The sad, yet encouraging smile Matt gave him let him have that little bit of confidence to break the news to the rest of the team. 

"No, I'm sorry Keith. Lance is dead." With the announcement over with, Shiro removed his helmet and discarded of it to the side. The two could already hear the screams of Keith through the coms. It was heart-wrenching to hear, even when it was muffled and quiet. Keith had just lost his everything, his whole entire world. Just a few hours earlier, he was gushing over how much he loved Lance. 

"We need to bring him back. They need to say goodbye." Matt spoke, his voice reticent and soft. Shiro nodded in agreement. It would be a shock to everyone for sure. Lance looked barely recognizable anymore. 

"I know. I just don't want to put them through that," Shiro mumbled back, still holding Lance's hand in his own. Lance looked so peaceful now, he was away from a world of pain and suffering. He had fought bravely, trying to save not only himself, but the team too. Shiro could tell that Lance strugged to fight back but kept going as long as he could. "Thank you for everything, Lance."

-

Shiro carried Lance's dead body all the way back to the main part of the castle, being careful with him every step of the way. Even though he was dead, Shiro didn't want to cause any more harm to him. Matt walked along beside him, teary-eyed but staying strong. The two weren't prepared for revealing his body to the rest of the team, but it was to be done sooner or later. As they got to a more open and main part of the castle, everything brightened up. 

The rest of the team were all waiting just outside the main hall, Keith nervously biting at his nails. Hunk had his arms wrapped around Keith, managing to have kept him calm for a short while. Allura was the first to spot Shiro and Matt walking up, Lance lifeless in Shiro's arms. 

"Oh my God," She cried out, her hands covering her mouth, tears already spilling from her eyes. Everyone turned their attention towards the two walking towards them. They all collectively lost it, especially Keith. They had never heard such a heart-broken wail come from someone before. Keith was suffering. Matt and Shiro finally reached the group, Shiro having to place Lance's body down on the floor of the castle. It was only seconds later that Keith flung himself at Lance's body, crying his absolute heart out over it. "Lance, he's really..." 

Keith cried into Lance's corpse, hugging him close to his chest. If seeing Lance's dead body wasn't enough, seeing Keith cry over it made it so much worse. Even Lotor wasn't able to hold back his tears, having to look away from the scene in front of his. Pidge ran to Matt's side, hiding herself away from the horrific sight that lay before her. She was in fits of tears, unable to breathe properly. Matt had to take her to the side and help calm her down, telling her to take deep breaths in and let them out slowly. She was the youngest of the group and had just witnessed possibly the most brutal death she had ever seen, which just so happened to be one of her best friends. Shiro was covered in Lance's blood, but he couldn't care less. 

"Lance, wake up!" Keith yelled, shaking his shoulders violently. This sent Shiro over the edge and he couldn't hold it in any longer. He covered his mouth with a shaky hand as he let out a harsh sob, the nausea soon returning. "Lance, you promised me! You promised to fight!"

"Keith, please..." Shiro sobbed, kneeling down next to Lance and Keith. He went to place a hand on Lance's limp shoulder, only to have Keith errupt at him. 

"Get away from him! Stay back!" Keith howled, his throat already practically raw from the amount of crying and yelling he had done. Shiro drew back his hand, more tears falling as he sobbed some more, not being able to take in anymore. "Leave him alone, he'll wake up soon!"

"Keith, he's gone. He's dead." Shiro sniffled, trying once again to get Keith to leave Lance's side. 

"He isn't dead! He isn't! He promised me- He promised me he would fight! He promised..." Keith could barely breathe at this point and placed a hand over his chest, wheezing and gasping for air. Having Keith in such a state and potentially hurting himself was something no one wanted. Shiro crawled over to Keith's side and pulled him into him, holding Keith close. Shiro swayed gently, hushing Keith as he did so. His attempts to calm Keith down were no help. 

"It's okay, Keith, everything will be okay. I promise you." Shiro cried, trying his hardest to keep up a hard exterior. He felt the need to stay strong for his teammates, but was unable to at this time. This was a time of great loss. By this time tomorrow, everyone in the universe would know of the Blue Paladin's demise. Everywhere would be in mourning. He would surely get one of the best funerals they could provide, letting everywhere know how brave Lance McClain was, how he gave up his life in the fight to save his friends. How he never failed to make his teammates smile, or make them laugh. How he never failed to cheer them up, even on their worst days. Lance was what kept the team together. 

"He lied to me, he said he would fight..."

"And he did just that, Keith. he fought so hard, I promise you. He saved us all." Shiro hushed Keith a little more, the manic wailing finally dying down, despite the tears that still fell at a rapid rate. 

"We need to bring him back home. He deserves to be with his family." By now, Keith was just talking nonsense. He was delirious. 

"We can't do that." Shiro explained, knowing that bringing Lance's body back to his family would be the hardest thing they had ever done in their missions as Voltron. 

"Yes we can! Lance need's to be buried on Earth, where he belongs! Please Shiro!" Keith begged, desperately wiping away at the tears on his cheek. Shiro shakily sighed and looked up at Allura and Coran, who were still very much teary-eyed. Allura nodded, as well as Coran, silently letting him know that Keith's wishes would be fulfilled.

Lance was to be buried on Earth, where he originally was from. He would have a great funeral where everyone would hear of the guardian of the water, the blue paladin, the greatest hero of all time. His family, friends, teachers, and classmates would all be their, giving him a grand send off into the unknown. It was what he deserved. Nothing less. 

Team Voltron was no longer complete.


	9. Final Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team travel back to Earth to wish their Blue Paladin goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, the last chapter, eh? well, i never thought i'd get it this far, not going to lie there. i'll leave the sappy bits for the end. i hope you enjoy the last chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it.

Keith had kept to himself ever since Lance's passing. He majorly blamed himself for it, for not being there to save him and not knowing where he was. He also partially blamed Lance, which he felt awful about. Keith could always be found in one of two places; his bedroom or the training room. The journey back to Earth was long and it would take a few days to reach it. No one dared to step near Keith, seeing the new fire lit inside his eyes, scared that he may hurt them. Even Shiro feared that Keith had changed drastically.

However, they couldn't just let him suffer in silence. It wasn't just him that had lost someone he loved; the whole team was impacted by the loss of Lance. Shiro knew he had to step up and say something to the red paladin sooner or later.  Just as he expected, he found Keith in the training room, letting his anger out on the robots they used. Shiro wasn't going to be able to just pull Keith out of it, he would have to shut the simulation down altogether to catch his attention. Once he had done so, Keith looked up to see why the fight had stopped. 

"We need to talk." Shiro mentioned, his tone hard. Keith sighed and stood up straight again, looking over to his friend. 

"About what?" Keith used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat away from his forehead, his breath slowly coming back to him. Shiro made his way over, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but we need to talk about Lance's funeral," Shiro sighed, earning a scoff from Keith. It was as if Keith never even liked the guy and wanted nothing to do with his damn funeral. "We're going to go back to the garrison and let them know before Lance's family. They deserve to know as well."

"I guess so," Keith shrugged. "I wish this wasn't happening." 

"I know." Shiro mumbled, his arms dropping to his side and his stern look fading. 

"He didn't deserve to die. Not down there where nobody would be able to find him. He died knowing that he probably wasn't going to be found until we were all dead." Keith struggled to speak about Lance still, but he was coping better. 

"I know, I'm sorry for that Keith. It was awful." Shiro whispered, his head hung low, almost a sign of respect for Lance. It was something he had been taught in the garrison that stayed with him afterward.

It wasn't going to be easy attending the funeral of Lance, but everyone knew that he deserved the best send off possible. 

-

A few days had passed and they finally made it back to Earth. It was weird seeing it, considering they had all been gone for so long. Instead of landing the castle straight away, the paladins decided to take their lions down, making it a bit easier for everyone. The castle was big and would cause a lot of commotion in the atmosphere, which wouldn't do them any good. 

They all boarded their lions, hearts heavy as they did. It felt great to be returning back to Earth. It felt awful to be returning for this reason. Lance wanted to see Earth so badly again, to see his family and friends he left behind. Now he will never get to experience that. He died knowing his family had no clue where he was.

"Are we ready?" Shiro spoke over the coms, everyone mumbling their response before they took off. Lotor rode in the Black Lion with Shiro, despite everyone protesting he stay on the ship. It would be a little bit of fun to scare the humans with an alien, though. Coran rode with Allura in Blue, even though the lion felt stiff and lethargic. Matt stayed by Pidge's side, making sure she stayed calm as they rode back down to Earth. "Let's go."

With Shiro's instructions, they left the castle, flying in a V formation. Seeing the Earth again was such a relief, knowing it was still safe from the Galra. Their hearts were heavy and sorrowful as they made their way down, passing through the Earth's atmosphere with little resistance. The Lions almost seemed to know where they were headed and lead the way back to the garrison. With the speed they were travelling, it didn't take them long to locate where they needed to be. The garrison came into view as they broke through the clouds, the vibrant sand glowing in the low light of the day. 

Their presence in the sky alerted some of the students outside, who all ran back inside to tell everyone of what they had just seen. Keith watched as it happened, they all seemed so excited about what they saw. It wouldn't be long before their hearts were torn in two. As they landed their lions, the rest of the garrison flooded out every door they could use. A large crowd soon gathered around, in awe of the gigantic metal lions standing heroically in front of them. Almost in sync, the lions bent down, letting their paladins out to greet the crowd. Murmurs waved through the crowd, a mixture of surprise and wonder. Iverson pushed his way to the front, seeing what had disturbed his lessons. He too was flabbergasted at the sight before him. He was even more flabbergasted when he saw the students he believed were dead. 

"S-Shiro? Keith?! Matt?! What is going on here? Where did you guys- Hunk and Pidge too? You must be kidding me!" They couldn't tell whether Iverson was mad or surprised. They expected him to be happy for their return, which didn't seem to be the case as of now. Lotor, Coran, and Allura stood to the side as the other five walked forward, solemn looks on all their faces. 

The crowd was now whispering to each other, hearing about the legends of Voltron and the disastrous Kerberos mission which had lead to the loss of Shiro and Matt. It was like some sort of dream and no one really knew what was happening. Sam Holt pushed his way through the crowd, knowing that if he waited there, his children would return soon. As soon as he pushed through and called out his children's named, they sprinted towards him, almost knocking him down in a hug. It was good to see their father again, especially with the recent events that rocked them. 

"I missed you two so much! Your mother is going to be so happy to see you again!" Sam exclaimed, teary-eyed as he embraced his children. The crowd awed at the family reunion, relishing in the sweet moment. 

"Iverson, it's good to see you again." Shiro spoke, holding out his right hand for Iverson to shake. He forgot for that moment he now had a robotic alien arm, which took Iverson by surprise. Even so, he reached out and shook Shiro's hand, happy to see that his old student was alive and well. 

"What took you all so long to get back? Where were you?" The teacher asked, unable to process all that was happening. Shiro looked over to Keith, who was trying to put on a brave face. He was really trying. 

"We were in space, fighting a giant intergalactic war as team Voltron. I'm sure you've heard of us." Keith commented, arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. 

"I see Keith never changed." Iverson rolled his eyes, a few of the other teachers behind him letting out a subtle laugh at his remark. 

"Don't make me fuck up your other eye." Keith spat, not being able to control his anger outburst. It was lucky that Shiro managed to turn in time and stop Keith from rushing forward and attacking the man.

"Keith, that's enough." Shiro spoke sternly, not wanting to cause a massive fight already. That isn't what they were here for. They were here to give Lance what he needed and what he had so dearly wished for. They were there for their dead friend. 

"Um, excuse me," A petite girl spoke up, stepping out from the crowd. Everyone turned their attention towards her and she seemed to shy away at this, but still she continued to ask her question. "Did you have Lance McClain in your team?" 

The whole team tensed up at this, not knowing how to react or what to say. They didn't expect anyone to ask directly about him, they just expected to announce his death to them all. The team shared despondent glances between each other, wondering who would be brave enough to step up and announce the news. 

"Yes, we did." Shiro's smile was melancholy. 

"Where is he then?" It seemed she already had an idea as to why he wasn't there, she just hoped it wasn't true. Now everyone in the crowd had their eyes firmly locked on Shiro, waiting patiently for an answer. 

"He's dead." Shiro sighed. A gasp spread through the crowd like a deafening wave. The crowd began to murmur again, turning to each other in panic. The girl covered her mouth with her hands, the news hitting her hard. Sobs were soon heard from various members around, friends trying to comfort friends.

"How?" The girl asked through her tears, desperately trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks. 

"Out castle was under attack. We didn't know. Lance was found deep in the castle, already dead when we got to him. If not for him, we would all be dead. He died a hero. Lance was the greatest pilot of all, our team sharpshooter. He never failed to cheer us up or make us happy again. He was the glue for this team. He will be dearly missed." Allura spoke up from where she was stood, walking forward to stand next to Shiro. The other two followed her lead, despite the stares from everyone around them. 

The petite girl disappeared back into the crowd, her friends soon gathering around her to comfort her as best they could. Lotor felt uncomfortable in front of a crowd this large, he couldn't tell why. Perhaps it was the confused stares. 

"Who are they?" Iverson pointed at the three aliens stood next to Shiro. Lotor scowled at him, fists balled by his side. 

"This is Allura, Coran, and Lotor. Allura and Coran are Altean, from Altea. Lotor is half Altean, half Galra. His father was the one leading the space war. Don't get him wrong though, Lotor has done nothing but help us. In fact, he was the one who took his father down," Shiro introduced the three, and Allura waved and smiled at everyone. They seemed to take to the three of them after being introduced to them. "Allura is- was, Princess of Altea. Coran was her father's right-hand man. Lotor was Prince Lotor, but is now Emperor of the Galra Empire."

At these words, everyone in the crowd seemed to do one thing; they all bowed, respecting the royalty that stood in front of them. It shocked the three, never having come across such actions. Shiro managed a laugh, seeing the shock spread across the alien's faces. 

"Is there going to be a funeral for Lance?" A small boy asked, who looked similar to the girl. Shiro nodded his head, sending a warm smile at the boy. They both seemed somewhat young, perhaps Pidge's age. They assumed the garrison had lowered the age limit to get in now, seeing how many wanted to join. 

"Yes, but we will first speak to his family and let them know about this news. It's best they decide what to do. I'm sure you will all be invited along though, considering how much you all seem to love him." Shiro had a warm feeling in his heart, knowing that Lance was deeply cared for back on his home planet. if only he could see this and experience it. Lance would never shut up about it afterwards, but Shiro would do anything to see Lance truly happy again. 

-

After their visit back to the garrison, Hunk took the team to Lance's home. It wasn't too far, or it at least seemed it whilst travelling in the lions. The vibrant sand soon died down and turned into lush green grass rolling over many hills. It was wide open and very beautiful. As the scanned over the land, a small white ranch house appeared from nowhere. Hunk announced this was Lance's house and the team slowed down, eventually landing their lions in the open fields around the house. No one seemed to notice the Lions land. 

The team left their lions again, dreading what would happen once Lance's death was announced to his family. Hunk warned them that his mother would usually mix in Spanish as she spoke, and not to act too confused if she went off on a rant in her native language. 

A little boy rushed outside the house as he saw the strange lions land and people come out of them. He couldn't be older than seven at the least. Keith felt himself tearing up as he approached Lance's house; Lance had once mentioned how he wanted Keith to meet his family. He said they would love him. Keith could only hope that they would. The only problem was, he never expected to meet them under such dark circumstances. That's what made this even more painful. Lance wasn't here. A short, round woman rushed out the door behind the child, a tiny white apron wrapped around her middle and towel in her hand. 

"Who are you?" She asked, her brows furrowed. She had a thick Spanish accent as Hunk had mentioned. "Wait, Hunk?" 

"Hello, Anita." Hunk scratched the back of his neck timidly, watching as Lance's mother teared up. 

"Why, come on in  _amigos_ , sit down!" She welcomed the rest of the team in like it was nothing. They must know Lance is they knew Hunk, surely. She hadn't even noticed her son wasn't there yet. The little boy stared up at the paladins as they made their way inside, awe-struck. He almost lost his little child mind when the aliens walked past him. 

The eight of them sat down, spread across multiples chairs and couches. Anita shuffled herself down into the last spare seat, a wide grin on her face. 

"So, tell me, who are you all?" She was so delighted to meet all these people. She glanced around the room, noticing the looks on all their faces. The somber atmosphere of the room let her know something was wrong. " _Esperar_ , what's wrong?"

"Mrs. McClain- Anita, we have some news for you." Keith took leadership from Shiro now, wanting to be the one to pass on the news. Shiro had already done it once, and Keith could see the toll it took on his friend. 

" _Sí?_ "  She was wrangling the towel around her hands, anxious to hear the news these strange people had for her. Keith took in a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for saying the words he hated hearing most. 

"Your son, Lance, he... I'm so sorry, but he's dead."Keith spoke, no emotion in his tone. It broke him to say such words. The look on Anita's face made the whole thing even worse. 

" _Dios mío! Ohhh Dios mío!_ " Anita cried, her hands shooting up around her mouth, tears falling before she even really got to take in the news. "My son, how could he?!"

"It was an unfortunate accident. He saved us all, Anita. Your son was a great hero. There is no doubt about that. Everything he did was for the good of his team. Lance kept us all together and fought like no other person. Lance was brave as anything." Keith stood from his seat, rushing over to Anita. He knelt down in front of her, holding her petite hands in his own, hoping to calm the woman down. No one had ever seen Keith in such a way, so it gave them all a surprise. 

The little boy had been listening in on the conversation behind the wall, and his little heart-broken sobs could be heard once everything calmed down a little. This took Keith's attention and he rose from where he was knelt, making his way over to the boy. He had his little hands covering his face, trying to muffle his cries. Keith knelt down by him, a warm, disheartened smile on his face. 

"Hey, buddy," Keith spoke soft, gently prying the child's hands away from his face. "Your brother was  _awesome_. He was the best warrior I have ever met. You should be proud of him. Never forget that he will always be with you, in your heart. He lives in you." 

"Luis,  _está bien. Está bien,_ " Anita spoke through her tears, making sure her youngest son was feeling okay after the news about his brother. Keith assumed his name was Luis- Lance had mentioned him once or twice before. Luis looked up at Keith, eyes red and puffy. It made his heart shatter. He had eyes just as blue as Lance's were. The young boy reached his hands up, wanting to be held. Keith grinned fondly, picking up the youngster in his arms as he stood back up straight, hoping this would help calm him down. No one had ever seen Keith with kids before and it was strange; he seemed so much calmer and soft around them. 

"We thought we'd bring Lance's body back to Earth. So he could have a proper funeral here, with his family and friends surrounding him. Does that sound okay?" Shiro took over from Keith, watching as the red paladin continued to calm the child in his arms. He was actually surprisingly good with children. 

"That's brilliant,  _gracias._ " Anita wiped away her tears with the towel, remnants of her mascara flaked across her tanned cheeks. The team finally felt a little bit of happiness returning back to them; they knew Lance would be proud of them. 

-

A few days passed and it was time to attend Lance's funeral. Everything was pretty rushed but they didn't want Lance to have to wait any longer. Everyone dressed in black, the boys all in suits and Allura in a black dress. Pidge decided on a suit as well, considering she wasn't a massive fan of dresses. Keith stared at himself in the mirror; he had dark bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. Today was possibly one of the worst days of his life and he wanted nothing more than to just sleep it away. However, he couldn't not turn up to his partners funeral. It was wrong to do that. 

A shallow knock of the bathroom door shook him from his thoughts. He opened it to reveal Shiro, dressed dapper as ever. Shiro forced a smile at Keith, seeing how awful his friend really looked. 

"I know today is hard for you. Just know we are all here for you Keith, and if it gets too much, we can leave." Shiro reminded Keith, reaching his hands up to adjust Keith's scruffy hair. The paladin groaned and slapped Shiro's hands away, not wanting to be fussed over. 

"I just really don't want to say goodbye." Keith grumbled, buttoning up the front of his blazer. Shiro nodded, understanding what he meant. 

"You can do this. Remember what you told Luis the other day? Lance will always be with you, in your heart." Shiro quoted the very words Keith had told Lance's brother a few days back. Keith sighed and nodded, taking in a deep breath. It was almost time to leave. 

The journey to the church where Anita had chosen to bury Lance was nearby to a beach. It was a long car ride, but it gave Keith time to take everything in. Think of what he would say, think of all the times he spent with Lance. It gave him time to reflect on everything Lance had done for him. If only they had more time together.

Shiro sat next to him in the car, the vehicle being driven by one of Lance's many siblings. It was his older sister, Sofia. She had long, curly dark hair and bright blue eyes, just as Lance did. Her skin wasn't as tanned, but she had many more freckles decorating her skin. She was an attractive girl to say the least.

"How did you two meet Lance?" Sofia asked. She had a slight accent too her, but not nearly as much as her mother. Despite the bitterness of the day, her chirpy tone remained solid. 

"I was rescuing this guy, then Lance walked in and tried to help. We, all five of us, ended up running away from a load of people. Then we stumbled across the Blue Lion and it really took off from there." Keith smiled at the memory, thinking back to how at that time, he hated Lance's guts for running his moment. 

"That's sweet. Did you two like each other?" Her question was forward and she had no hesitation. Keith's cheeks flushed pink at her question; how could she tell so easily? 

"Yeah, I guess so." Keith mumbled, hanging his head low so he could hide his blush. Shiro chuckled next to him, shaking his head as he let out an amused sigh. 

"You guess so? Keith, you couldn't leave each other alone. You were everything to each other." Shiro mentioned, giving Sofia all the information she was searching for. Even from the backseat of the car, the two boys could tell Sofia had a cheeky grin slapped on her face. They stopped at a red light and she whipped around to face them, using this short time to gossip. 

"So you and my brother, you got it on, yes?" She beamed, wanting to know all the juicy gossip. 

"No! No, no! we didn't ever do that. I mean, yes we kissed and all, but that was it!" Keith rushed out, even his ears burning a bright red through his embarrassment. Sofia giggled to herself, turning back around in her seat. The light turned green just as she turned back, the person behind her beeping their horn to tell her to move. 

" _La madre que te parió!_ " Sofia yelled, sticking her middle finger up at the driver behind them. For once in a good while, Shiro and Keith shared a genuine laugh, their stomach hurting from how much they giggled.

-

The church was truly beautiful; the team could see why Anita chose it. She always said that Lance loved the beach and knew this would be the best place to hold his funeral. So many people attended that they were quite literally pouring out the doors, having to stand outside the church. Thankfully, the team and Lance's family were made to sit at the front of the pews. 

As they arrived, everyone turned to face them. Keith cleared his throat and lowered his head, not liking the attention. Shiro stepped out and walked over to Keith, placing a gentle hand in the dip of his back to encourage him to walk forward. The crowd dispersed to make a walkway through into the church for the family and team of Lance. Keith finally lifted his head when he walked into the church, his heart skipping a beat as he say Lance laying in the coffin. He stopped dead in his tracks, frozen. Lance looked so pretty still, they'd even dressed him in a suit. It looked as if nothing was wrong with him, like he was just sleeping. Keith wished it was that way. 

"Keith, it's okay." Shiro whispered into his ear, once again having to push him forward. They made their way to their seats and sat down, everyone returning back to where they originally stood. Sofia sat next to Keith, letting out a short sigh as she did. Anita, Luis and a few more of Lance's family sat on the pews opposite them, silent tears being shed between the lot of them. Pidge, Hunk, Allura, Coran, and Lotor were all on his pew, along with him, Shiro and Sofia. Matt was stood up, next to where Pidge was sat at the end. 

The priest finally stood up and took his place, taking in a deep breath before he began to speak. Keith grasped the fabric of his blazer, fiddling with the bottom hem as the priest began to speak. Sofia noticed this sudden change in Keith and, being the friendly girl she was, took Keith's hand in her own. Keith was shocked at this, but didn't pull his hand away. He knew she was comforting him, nothing more and nothing less.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Lance McClain. A loved son and a valued friend, he shall never be forgotten. Lance lived a short life, at that, but it was used for the best. He fought hard to save us all from a threat we did not know about." 

Keith spaced out halfway through the priests speech, absent-mindedly squeezing Sofia's hand. He was finding it hard to keep back the tears now, but wanted to stay strong. Keith raised his gaze a little to look down the pews. The team were only just managing to keep it together, whereas the family weren't. As he looked down the line of Lance's family, two specific faces caught his attention. It was the boy and girl from the garrison. His heart jumped, realizing why the two had been the ones to question Lance's whereabouts. 

"Now, if the pallbearers could help carry this coffin to the grave, the rest of us will wait outside." The priest finished, everyone standing from their seats. Sofia had to tug Keith up, still holding on to his hand with a solid grip. Most of the pallbearers were family members, cousins and brothers that were strong and sturdy. Keith was dragged along by Sofia, his feet barely working. His legs felt weak and jelly-like. 

"Keith?" Sofia asked, her voice soft and quiet. Keith looked up, meeting her gaze. "Are you okay?" 

"No," Keith whispered, shaking his head. "Not really."

"Need to leave? Get some fresh air?" Sofia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, waiting for Keith's answer. He shook his head. 

"No, Lance would want me here." Keith spoke up a little, just louder than a whisper. Sofia smiled fondly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. 

 The crowd of people slowly made their way over to the open grave, ready to bury their hero. Keith and Sofia trodded along in the back, needing a little more time than everyone else. Their hands stayed locked together from the church all the way to the grave, not even a sign of either letting go. 

Eventually, they reached the grave, the two of the standing near the front. They still kept their hands clasped together, needing each other for much needed support. Keith stared down into the grave as they lowered the coffin into the empty slot, his hands shaking from trying to keep himself from breaking down. Keith sniffled a little, a few stray tears dripping down his cheeks. 

"May Lance rest in peace, surrounded by his greatest friends and family. He shall never be forgotten," The priest spoke, the obvious sadness dripping from his tone. Even the priest struggled with this funeral. "I believe that the garrison has something they would like to dedicate to Lance?"

Lance's family and the team turned around, seeing the large crowd of garrison students behind them, all beautifully presented. One of the students stepped forward, a violin in their hands. Keith silently gasped, suddenly realizing what they were going to do. Another student placed down a somewhat large speaker, pressing a button before music began to drift into the air. It was then Keith realized what song it was. The students all looked distant, but determined to do Lance proud. 

The violinist began to play along with the music, the beautiful instrument sending waves through the air. Anita held Luis close to her, hand covering her mouth as she sobbed silently. Keith had tears running down his cheeks, his teeth dug into his bottom lip to stop any noise escaping.

_When I am down, and, oh, my soul, so weary_  
When troubles come, and my heart burdened be  
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence  
Until you come and sit awhile with me

 

The garrison sounded beautiful as they began to sing, their voices melted together like butter. It was breathtakingly gorgeous, everyone watching finally letting their tears begin to fall. 

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains_  
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas  
I am strong when I am on your shoulders  
You raise me up to more than I can be

 

Keith thought back to all the times he had with Lance. From the very first moment they met to the last kiss they shared. Everything was gone now, just a fading memory. Keith would never forget how Lance made him feel, how he never failed to crack a smile and how he never failed to surprise Keith. That was all over now.

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains_  
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas  
I am strong when I am on your shoulders  
You raise me up to more than I can be

 

Keith's whole body was shaking from holding back the tears. 

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains_  
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas  
I am strong when I am on your shoulders  
You raise me up to more than I can be

 

This song perfectly described how Keith felt about Lance. Lance had been his strength this whole time. 

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains_  
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas  
I am strong when I am on your shoulders  
You raise me up to more than I can be  

Everyone in the garrison was crying too, despite their best efforts to keep the tears back until the song had finished. They still sounded heavenly beautiful, like angels sending Lance off. This is everything Keith could have wished for and more. This was everything Lance deserved. If only he knew how many people had come to mourn him and how many people cared so deeply for him. If only Lance knew how much Keith had loved him through everything. Keith had never even got the chance to tell Lance that he loved him.

_You raise me up, to more than I can be._

The song ended and Keith couldn't hold himself back any longer. He practically collapsed in Sofia's arms, inconsolable. Sofia was sobbing too, her make up running down her face in black streaks. Keith couldn't hold himself up and Sofia wasn't strong enough to support his weight, so they ended up on the floor together, crying into each others arms. Pidge was sobbing into Matt's chest, her hands gripped tightly to his blazer jackets, her knuckles white. Hunk was being consoled by Lance's mother, who was trying her best to calm both himself and herself. Allura was all over Lotor, unable to control her tears. Lotor too was crying but managed to keep it quiet. Coran kept his head low as he wept. 

It was time for the team for say goodbye to their blue paladin. 

-

Keith stood on a nearby cliff, over looking the sea and the bay. After the funeral, he left to have some alone time. The sun was setting and the sky was painted with shades of peach, orange and red. Wispy clouds were dotted around, the salty sea breeze brushing Keith's hair over his eyes.

Sofia had handed Lance's jacket to Keith after they'd calmed down, letting him know that he deserved to keep it. Keith threw himself at her, hugging her tight in thanks. It really did mean a lot to him that she would do that for him. 

Keith looked down at the jacket in his hands, fiddling with the fabric. Lance had told Keith of how the jacket used to be his older brothers and that it was passed down onto him. That's why the jacket was so special to him. There were loose threads all over the jacket from how worn it was. Even so, it reminded him of Lance and that was all that mattered. 

"Hey," Shiro's voice startled Keith, causing him to turn around. "I was worried about you." 

"Hey." Keith managed a short smile, turning back to face the sunset. 

"Why are you up here, all alone?" Shiro asked, standing next to Keith, watching as the waves rolled through the blue ocean. 

"Needed some time alone. Today has been a lot." Keith replied, letting out  a deep sigh. Shiro hummed in response, enjoying the feeling of the cool sea breeze.

"Today's been rough." Shiro kept his response short. 

"I'm going to miss him." Keith sighed, turning his head to look at Shiro. He looked good in this light, he must admit. 

"So will I. I wish I had told him that I was proud of him." Shiro remarked, the corner of his lips tugging up into a regretful smile. 

"I wish I had told him that I loved him." Keith told Shiro. Shiro raised a brow at this, fully turning to face Keith.

"You never told him?" Shiro wondered, feeling his heart drop. Even Shiro felt pain for Keith, knowing how much Lance really had meant to Keith. The paladin shook his head, letting out another sigh. The two shared a short silence, listening to the wind and the crashing of the waves. The distant hum of people chattering could be heard as well. 

Keith glanced back down at the jacket he held, wondering what he would do with it now that he owned it. It didn't feel right for him to keep it; but it didn't feel right for his family to keep it either. That is when Keith had an idea. With a deep breath, Keith walked towards the edge of the cliff, staring down at the water. The jacket swayed in the soft breeze. Shiro walked up behind Keith, just in case, but also curious as to what he was doing. 

"Lance was the guardian of water. It only makes sense for him to be reunited with it." Keith commented, keeping his gaze on the waves.

"Are you sure about this Keith? This is the only thing you have left to remind you of Lance." Shiro furrowed his brows, resting his hands over Keith's. 

"I don't need a piece of clothing to remember the boy who stole my heart." the fond smile on Keith's face said it all for Shiro. The paladin was serious about this and needed to do it to feel at one with everything. 

"You really did love him, didn't you?" Shiro laughed, shaking his head at Keith's sappy comment. With that, Keith held the jacket over the edge of the cliff, watching the fabric sway. Shiro watched, a fond smile tugging at his lips. 

"I love you, Lance. I'll never forget you." Keith mumbled, tears pricking at his eyes yet again. He let the jacket go, watching it as it fell down into the waves. A sigh of relief escaped his lungs, feeling a sense of happiness about it. 

Shiro offered a hand to Keith, which he took with no hesitation. The two turned and walked away from the cliff edge, the sunset wishing them a silent good bye. It would soon be time to return to space and leave Earth behind. It was a bitter sweet visit back. All would be in mourning for a long time. 

Lance McClain would never be forgotten, and Keith would let Lance live on in his memories until his days were over, and they were reunited through death once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was never planned to be a full blown story. I planned it to be a short and sweet one shot, but I was requested to make it into a story. None of the chapters were planned apart from the last three. It's probably why it is all over the place and doesn't make sense. It's a pretty crappy story. But I plan on making a new klance fic soon that isn't nearly as angsty. I promise. I really hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please, let others know if you enjoyed it. Let me know how you feel now it's ended. I love you all and thank you for all the support. Good bye :)


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